How to Treat a Deep Cut Laceration

When to Care for a Wound Without Stitches and When to Get Medical Help

A laceration is an irregular cut in the skin caused by a sharp object. This kind of cut is the most common reason for emergency room visits in the United States. Several million cases are reported each year.

While a laceration can often be deep, you may be able to treat a deep cut without stitches. Taking care of the wound the right way can prevent infection and hospitalization, ensure proper healing, and reduce scarring. In some cases, it may save your life.

This article will go over how to treat a laceration. You will also learn when a cut requires medical attention and possibly stitches.

Bandaid on arm
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Steps to Treating a Laceration

Injuries caused by an animal or human bite need immediate medical care to prevent bacterial infection. You may also need to see a healthcare provider for stitches if the wound is especially deep or in a specific location.

Signs that you need stitches include:

  • The wound does not stop bleeding after applying pressure for 10 minutes.
  • Something is embedded in the wound.
  • The laceration is on the hands, mouth, face, or genitals.
  • The cut is deeper or longer than a half-inch.
  • Bone, muscle, or fatty tissue is visible.

Even a large laceration should eventually heal on its own without stitches, but stitching it up helps it heal faster. It also keeps bacteria out and lowers the risk of infection. Getting stitches can also prevent scarring.

If the laceration is deep but doesn’t seem to require stitches, you should be able to treat it with a basic at-home first aid kit. If you or someone else gets a laceration, here are some general guidelines to follow.

Stay Safe

Before you start helping someone who is injured, keep yourself safe. For example, some cuts bleed a lot. You’ll need to try to keep the other person’s blood from getting on you.

Do your best to prevent infection when you’re caring for a person who is sick or hurt. The steps you can take to stay safe are called universal precautions.

Wearing disposable gloves and a face mask, if you have them, is another step you can take. These items are called personal protective equipment. They help keep you and the person you’re taking care of safe.

Control Bleeding

The most important step in caring for a cut is preventing blood loss. There are a few ways that you can do this.

First, apply pressure directly to the wound. Then, lift the injured area up to the level of the person’s heart. Keep it there for about 15 minutes. This should be long enough to stop the bleeding.

If the cut is still bleeding, try putting pressure on the groin or the crook of the elbow. These pressure points can help stop bleeding.

Tourniquets

Tourniquets are tight bands that stop blood flow to a part of the body. A tourniquet can stop bleeding but should only be used as a last resort.

Even when someone puts a tourniquet on correctly, it can still cause damage. They should only be used in life-or-death situations when medical care will not be available soon enough to help someone.

Preferably, only a person who is trained (like a first responder) should put on a tourniquet.

Know When to Call 911

If you cannot stop the bleeding, call 911. Losing too much blood is dangerous. If a major artery is cut, a person can lose a life-threatening amount of blood in just 5 minutes.

Clean the Wound

Once the bleeding has stopped, wash the cut and skin around it. Use warm water and mild soap, and be gentle. If the cut is deep, it might start to bleed again if you’re not careful.

Re-apply pressure if the bleeding starts again. If you can’t get the bleeding to stop, call 911.

Apply Antiseptic

For a smaller cut that doesn’t need stitches, put antiseptic ointment and an adhesive bandage on it. An example is a butterfly closure bandage. You probably have one of them in your first aid kid.

The dressing keeps the wound clean and prevents infection. It can also help prevent scarring.

Dress the Wound

After the cut has been bandaged, cover it with sterile gauze. Your first aid kit should have a roll or patches of it. You can either tape the gauze in place or wrap it with an elastic bandage.

Check for Infection

As the cut is healing, look for signs of infection. Check the dressing every day for oozing or lots of bleeding. Clean the wound every time you change the dressing.

If the cut starts to swell or pus is coming out, call your doctor.

Control Pain

Lacerations can hurt a lot. Putting an ice pack on it may help. You may want to take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen).

Keeping the wound elevated will reduce swelling and may relieve discomfort.

Get Shots (if needed)

Objects that are dirty or old can have bacteria on them. Some of these bacteria can make you very sick. If you get cut by an object like this, you might need a tetanus vaccination or tetanus booster shot.

The risk of tetanus is higher if the cut is on your feet, cannot be cleaned right away, or is from an animal bite.

Animal bites can also cause rabies. Always get medical attention if you are bitten by an animal.

When to Call a Doctor

A cut that gets infected can become an emergency. Seek medical care right away if you have:

  • Swelling, pain, or redness around the wound
  • Red streaks near the injury that point toward your heart
  • Pus in or coming out of the wound
  • Numbness around the injury
  • Increased body temperature

Summary

Lacerations are cuts that have irregular edges. They usually are caused by sharp objects. You might be able to treat a cut at home with basic first aid. More serious injuries need medical treatment.

Cuts that come from objects that could have bacteria on them and animal bites always require medical attention. You should also get medical care if the cut is showing signs of an infection.

6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. National Health Service. Does my cut need stitches?.

  3. Stanford Children's Hospital. Lacerations with stitches.

  4. Otterness K, Singer AJ. Updates in emergency department laceration management. Clin Exp Emerg Med. 2019;6(2):97–105. doi:10.15441/ceem.18.018

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By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P
Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients.