Wound Care Learning Center

At-Home Wound Care

Wash your hands before and after touching your wound! This is an important step to prevent infection. You can use soap and water or an antiseptic skin cleanser like Hibiclens®.
Stop bleeding by pressing a clean paper towel, cloth, or sterile gauze pad against the wound for several minutes. If bleeding continues, call a doctor.
After you’ve stopped the bleeding, rinse the wound with clean water or saline and gently remove any dirt with a clean, moist cloth.

For superficial wounds, you may use an antiseptic skin cleanser like Hibiclens® or an antibiotic ointment
Do not use peroxide, iodine solutions, alcohol, or soap in the wound – this can delay healing

Covering wounds with high quality wound dressings is key to keeping out moisture, dirt and bacteria* while protecting the wound from further injury
Apply a clean dressing, such as Mepilex® Border Flex / Flex Lite which helps the healing process by keeping wounds moist and drawing drainage away from the wound
Wounds also heal faster when left undisturbed. Mepilex® bordered dressings are designed to be left in place for multiple days*, are showerproof and provide a Drainage Tracker to help monitor drainage spread without adjusting the dressing.

Watch drainage spread, if using a Mepilex® bordered dressing with Drainage Tracker, and change the dressing if wound fluid reaches all sides of the dressing
A tetanus shot may be advised if you haven’t had one within 10 years, per the CDC.
If the wound gets worse or persists, or if there are signs of infection (redness, swelling, fever, pain or burning, increased drainage, becomes warm to the touch), please consult a healthcare provider.