You've heard of a cold shower. Luckily, if youre in a pinch, your stick of, Bottom line, the best thing you can do is shave gently and avoid getting sliced in the first place. Thats because, as your razor ages, water and pressure combine to corrode its finely honed edge, leaving it blunted and uneven. It promotes healing, disinfects, and closes off the wound. Get an ice cube. But too much bleeding. Dont have either of these? "They could go to urgent care to stop the bleeding," says Dr. Lee. Get tips on first aid, CPR, and much. Remove obvious debris from the wound, such as. Remove obvious debris from the wound, such as sticks or grass. Use this if a limb has a deep cut and is bleeding profusely. All products featured on GQ are independently selected by our editors. Splash some cold water on the area first, then apply your tool of choice. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. All Rights Reserved. Why You Get Cut Saline solution is a safe option and cleans most cuts. Smearing on a little ChapStick or Vaseline works like a sealplus it'll keep bigger cuts from forming unsightly scabs. Im not a fan of using anything else such as hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or antibiotic cream.. 6. 2005-2023 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Security Keys Are the Best Way to Protect Your Apple ID, Use a Can of Soup to Make a Lazy Chicken Pot Pie. The first reason is just natures way the second reason, not so much. Next, apply firm pressure with toilet paper over the cut. Well show you, When you get a cut or other wound, it can be hard to tell when to treat it at home and when to get stitches. BAND-AID Brand HYDRO SEAL adhesive bandages are specially designed to help seal wounds To first stop the bleeding, blood cells start to cluster together to promote clotting. 5 Things We Now Know About Peripheral Artery Disease. If you do get a cut, dont worry all is not lost. All rights reserved. Maintain pressure for one to two minutes or until the bleeding stops. Using bits of toilet paper may be a classic move, but it could take a while to stop the bleeding, and frankly, looks ridiculous. Its a small brick or pen-shaped tool, made of the mineral potassium alum. If youre unsure if your injury needs a doctors evaluation, look for the following: A deep, long, or jagged cut may need stitches to close the wound. (2014, November 20). However, size, location, the amount of, When your skin gets cut or scraped, you begin to bleed. You might notice trace redness in the balm from any last blood drainage. In the days following an injury, be on the lookout to ensure that a wound is healing correctly. As we have alluded to above, the key to healing shaving cuts is to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible. If youve cut yourself with a new blade, its often the result of applying too much pressure. It really only takes a few seconds to clean any cut with some soap and clean water. Try to get the injured person to safety, call 911 or local emergency services, and apply pressure to stop, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) keeps blood and oxygen flowing when a persons heart and breathing have stopped. Please see our Privacy Policy. Find out what causes bleeding gums and how to. Apply pressure to the cut using a clean washcloth or gauze. When you initially get a cut, white blood cells swoop in on the scene to combat germs so healing won't be delayed. The nose may have been broken during an injury. Learn six home remedies to stop bleeding caused by small cuts. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Instead, pick up a styptic pencil, or alum block. Pelvic fractures are typically the result of high impact injuries. That being said, it's impossible to know whether these methods are truly sterile. Remember, youre dragging a razor across your face that thing is sharp as hell. Pus (yellowish liquid) oozing out of the wound. It may be a little harder to come by, but you can find alum blocks on Amazon and some old school barber shops. If you ever cut off the tip of your finger, you should get emergency medical treatment immediately. Abdominal and chest wounds can be quite serious because internal organs may be damaged, which can cause internal bleeding as well as shock. The wound may look puckered and feel a little itchy as its healing, but thats normal. A gunshot wound is a medical emergency. Learn six home remedies to stop bleeding caused by small cuts. Seek professional help for a nosebleed if bleeding does not stop after about 20 minutes, or if the nosebleed is related to a fall or injury. You should also see a doctor if the cut is caused by the bite of a human or animal. We suggest using an aftershave lotion instead, and saving the alum for proper nicks and cuts, to prevent overdrying the skin. Biting the inside of your lip is a common mouth injury that can cause pain, bleeding, and swelling. Rescue your face from shaving irritation! By following these step-by-step instructions, you should be able to clean the wound, stop the bleeding, and start the healing process. Just be sure to take note of when a cut requires an examination by a healthcare provider. The goal to eliminate prostate cancer starts with getting people to talk about itespecially Black men, who are two times more likely to die from the disease than most other men. Please click below to continue to that site. Policy, Quick action and proper care can make a big difference. For stubborn small bleeds, you may need to hold pressure for 15 minutes without interruption to allow a clot to form. But its often difficult to stop the bleeding of a deep cut, and uncontrolled bleeding from a deep or large cut is a very serious situation. Once the nose stops bleeding, instruct the person not to blow their nose for several days. Bleeding serves a useful purpose because it helps to clean out a wound. Rather than distributing its pressure uniformly, these tiny sharp crags and grooves on the razor act like a serrated knife on your skin. Sharp blades make very clean cuts, and clean cuts make it harder for your platelets the cells that form scabs to do their business of sealing up the hole, as more ragged cuts have more surface area to bond back together. The cut may have affected vital organs. Make sure you've removed any dirt and debris that might've gotten into the wound, using tweezers if you have to. Put. Then, gently wipe the excess balm away with your clean fingers. If your wound is super small or youre in a rush, it can be tempting to skip disinfecting it. Its weird, I know, but it works. Follow these steps: If you cut yourself a little with a razor or kitchen knife, you probably wont need medical attention. Apply a cooled-off tea bag to the cut. Keep putting direct pressure on the cut. We avoid using tertiary references. If blood spurts out of your cut, you have an abdominal or chest wound, or bleeding is so severe that it pools on the ground or soaks through your clothes, then call 9-1-1. Keep the wound uncovered, but as clean as possible, once it has closed. Apply unused, unscented balm to the nick, to occlude the cut and prevent blood from escaping as well as any germs from creeping in.The best means of delivery is a squeezable tube, so that you know none of the product has been exposed to air or germs (like those on your fingers or lips). Leave it alone for half an hourno touching, no scrutinizing. Youre left with the decision: continue to dab it with toilet paper until the bleeding stops or head to the office looking like Carrie. Common questions about wound care. "Nipples are made up of vascular tissue similar to the tissue on your penis which means it's . Press firmly on the part of your gums thats bleeding with a damp washcloth or tea bag. Ad Choices. A minor cut should heal in under a week. It could be that your blade was too dull, or you slide a little too across with the razor instead of down. (2015). As a vasoconstrictor, coffee can get a cut to stop bleeding faster, enabling a quicker healing process. In most cases, the healing process should start within 24 hours. To help ensure a healthy healing process, change the dressing daily or more frequently if it becomes wet, dirty, or bloody. This is because blood vessels in the area are damaged. 5. Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection thats typically caused by a cut from something rusty or dirty. Some guys will apply an alum block against the entire shaved region (as an aftershave remedy), to prevent razor burn and ingrown hairs. Inflammation then sparks the arrival of different kinds of cells to help get rid of bacteria and keep the wound clean. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. If you have a cut finger or are examining someone elses injury, do the following: You may need a tetanus shot if you havent had one in several years. Salt. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. Dont ignore a wound that wont stop bleeding just because it looks small or isnt painful. In the evening, you can reapply witch hazel after cleansing the face, too. Cleaning the cut, covering it with a clean dressing, and elevating it to help stop the bleeding and swelling, will boost your chances of keeping a simple cut from causing further medical complications. You could try applying coffee grounds or a cooled-off tea bag to your cut. "As Black Men, We Keep Things Close to the Hip": 5 Questions for a Urologist About Prostate Cancer. BAND-AID Brand HYDRO SEAL adhesive bandages are specially designed to help seal wounds. Ice will constrict the blood vessels, helping to form a clot. For the next 24 hours, do not: Avoid hard foods like pretzels and nuts for 2 to 3 days. When you cut yourself shaving, you bleed like crazyfor two reasons: The large number of blood vessels near the surface of your face, and the sharpness of your razor. On the other hand, cuts on the head, face, and mouth may bleed a lot because those areas contain a lot of blood vessels. Injuries and certain medical conditions can result in bleeding. Inflammation then sparks the arrival of different kinds of cells to help get rid of bacteria and keep the wound clean. If your favorite bottle of aftershave includes some kind of alcoholwhich many of them doyoure in luck. Add another layer if blood soaks through the cloth or pad. 2005 - 2023 WebMD LLC. How the Microbiome Could Transform Your Skin in Surprising Ways, How Surprising New Research Is Tapping the Powers of the Immune System. An alum block looks a lot like a bar of soap and feels like a stone, and in the event of a rather nasty cut, its a good thing to have in your shaving artillery. This could dislodge the clot and cause bleeding to begin again. Instead of using warm or tepid water from the bathroom sink, grab an ice cube and apply it with pressure to your cut. After the bleeding has stopped, you'll want to take a closer look at the wound, analyze the damage-is there any dirt lodged inside?-and then clean it. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. You can get away with shaving your own armpits and legs, but probably not your pubes. But if you slip up, despite knowing how to shave without getting cut, at least now you know how to stop bleeding from shaving, which means you can leave the TP where it belongs in the toilet. If youre in a hurry out the door, though, then a small, surface amount of balm will suffice, so long as the cut is sealed off. The following tips apply to relatively mild injuries. This helps to . get a cut, dont worry all is not lost. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Itll help get the bacteria and dirt out. 7. Call 911 if you experience: If a first-aid kit is available, look for these items designed to stop intense bleeding: A scab a patch of crusty, tough tissue typically forms during the healing process, creating a protective shield over the wound. For this procedure, a healthcare provider will first clean the wound with a topical antibiotic. Try to rinse soap out of wound to prevent irritation. If the cut is large or bleeding heavily, have them lie down. Take a clean washcloth and run it under warm water. Learn more about these serious fractures, how theyre treated, and what to expect. All rights reserved. Have the person sit down and lean their head forward. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. You might know of it by the terms styptic pen(cil) or styptic block.". A wound that penetrates the chest or abdomen. (2015, March 29), youngwomenshealth.org/2012/07/30/cuts-and-scrapes/, mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-nosebleeds/basics/art-20056683, mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-severe-bleeding/basics/art-20056661, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/nosebleed-epistaxis, nhs.uk/chq/Pages/990.aspx?categoryid=72&subcategoryid=725, Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., CNE, COI, How to Treat a Bite on the Inside of Your Lip, How to Treat a Bleeding Cut on Your Finger: Step-by-Step Instructions, What You Need to Know About Bleeding Gums, theres dirt that wont come out after washing, the bleeding will not stop after 15 to 20 minutes of first aid.