Accidents, from the simplest to the most dramatic one happen everywhere, even at home. Kitchen might be the most familiar scene of accidents, from a burn to a deep cut. This is very common, since in the kitchen, you are developing contacts with hot and sharps things, sometimes without cautions. Handling some complicated ingredients might also heightened your risk of injuring yourself accidentally. Among all injuries happening in the kitchen, finger cut caused by knives is the most common. Although sometimes the wound is not dramatically severe, finger cut may cause distraction and panic. Therefore, knowing how to treat a knife cut on finger well is important.

About knife cut on finger

Cuts is considered as the second most common injuries in the kitchen after burns. More than seventy percent of cut injuries in the kitchen involving fingers, which may involve severe bleeding. This is also the most common kitchen injury which leads people to ER. Although many people often underestimate knife cuts, this can be quite harmful when involving some conditions. A dull knife is one of those. Sharp knives might cause more cuts than dull knives. However, the cuts coming from sharp knives are mostly shallow and cut only the surface of the skin. Conversely, dull knives often lead to more serious, deeper cuts. It is because you tend to put more effort to cut something with a dull knife. You might also do some sawing gestures with it. Obviously, this pressure will make a deeper wound when you accidentally cut your finger with it. Some cuts might be minor and can be cared at home, while some others might cause the skin to split and need further medical care. A risk of tetanus attack also need to be considered if you accidentally cut your finger with rusty knife or cutting blade.

Treating knife cut on finger

Knife cuts can be a major issue when it causes severe bleeding and deep wound. Although most knife cuts can be treated with home remedies, some others may need further care at the ER. Most knife cuts cause bleeding, although not always severe bleeding. There are some things to do and consider when you cut yourself on the finger to minimize the pain and avoid scars. Knife cuts do startle you and so you need to calm yourself down initially. If the cut causes small, shallow wound, wash it under running, cool water to clean all possible debris. If it is continue to bleed, put a pressure on your finger to let all blood out. This will eventually stop the bleeding. In fact, bleeding is a natural healing process done by the body by cleansing the wounded area. After the bleeding stops you can put a band-aid on to the injured finger. Should your finger is deeply cut which results in split up finger skin, wash the cut under running cool water. Avoid warm or hot water as it may tear your tissues and cause more severe bleeding. Put a pressure around the wounded area to stop the bleeding. When the bleeding stops or gets lighter, cover the wounded area with a sterilized gauze. Do not rub any alcohol or iodine as it may damage the tissues. Keep the wound covered and change the gauze three times a day or after bath time. You can also let the wound “breath” as long as you keep it hygienic.

When to seek medical help

Cuts on finger is not always harmless. Some major cuts with severe bleeding might indicate that some blood vessels beneath the skin are damaged, although this is not definite. For this kind of wound, you will need to seek professional medical care to prevent more severe injuries. Some deep wounds which are not initially taken care properly are also in a risk of getting an infection. If you experience fever after finger cut, accompanied with severely throbbing wound, you may be experiencing initial symptom of infection. Rush yourself to an ER for further help. Getting a finger cut by a rusty knife or cutting blade also requires medical attention, as rust may transmit bacteria which may cause tetanus. Seek a medical help to know whether or not you need a tetanus shot.