Home Doctor: Practical Medicine for Every Household
For this reason, it is important to start antibiotic treatment early when there is a wound on the skin.
Treatment It is important to first disinfect the area with abundant soap and water. If the cut is large, a sterile gauze pad should be passed over it to remove any residue inside. As I mentioned earlier, honey is a good choice if you don’t have any special creams or medications. Sometimes we do not remember how we got an injury, but there are signs of inflammation (heat, pain, and redness). These symptoms combined are unmistakable signs of inflammation. Antiinflammatory/analgesic and antibiotic treatment should be initiated early. The antibiotics used are broad-spectrum, with Cefadroxil (Duricef) being the drug of first choice. A practical alternative is fish antibiotics, which are more easily found in extreme situations. Ciprofloxacin and Cefalexin are excellent as first-line antibiotics for skin infections. As for analgesics, Ketoprofen has an excellent analgesic and anti-inflammatory action. So do Ibuprofen, Profenid, and Diclofenac potassium. Remember to always be aware of the patient’s allergies. If the patient is allergic to NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) the first choice of analgesics are Acetaminophen, Paracetamol, or Dipyrone. The dosage in the case of NSAIDs is one every eight hours for three days (even if there is no pain), and Paracetamol, Acetaminophen, and Dipyrone are 500mg every six hours for three days. Both antiinflammatories can be used up to five days, but it is important to know that NSAIDs can cause heartburn. When the treatment begins, depending on how advanced the infection is, it may start to develop an abscess. An abscess is a collection of pus inside the skin. It is characterized by a fluctuating, soft, whitish area with swollen skin around it. Abscesses can have any location. They are common in sites near open wounds, in people with a lot of body hair, breastfeeding women (known as mastitis and breast abscess), and near ingrown nails. These should be drained to improve symptoms such as pressure and pain. The relief is immediate, although the procedure may be a little uncomfortable as it is an area that is very sensitive. To open it you, need a sharp object (scalpel or scissors) to enter that cavity. Be sure to open the skin sufficiently as sometimes the content is very thick and cannot get out through a very small space. Keep in mind that this area is swollen and very painful, so the skin is hypersensitive. Applying some local anesthesia, either in cream or injected, 54
Jonathanlund, Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
