Infected Wound Care: How to Safely Treat Wounds

Anytime you have a break in the skin, the end result is a wound. Wounds are very common and can range from minor injuries, such as a paper cut, to more severe conditions, including surgical incisions. Most of the time, you can heal a wound by keeping it clean and bandaged. But occasionally, wounds become infected.

When you have a wound infection, it’s important to treat it the right way. Appropriate infected wound care will help the infection heal and prevent the risk of it spreading or making the original wound worse.

Why Do Infections Happen?

Infections happen when bacteria or other micro-organisms get into a wound and proliferate. The bacteria could come from any surface or object that you touch. They can even migrate from different parts of your skin into the wound.

When microorganisms get into an open wound, your body senses them and launches an immune response to fight them off. Your body releases specialized cells called cytokine cells to stimulate inflammation. The inflammation signals white blood cells and antibodies to come to the infected area and kill the microorganisms. This process leads to pain, redness, swelling, and a white fluid called pus around the wound.

Sometimes, your natural immune defenses are sufficient to clear the infection with basic first aid measures to prevent the infection from getting worse. In other cases, the infection can spread and put you at risk for serious health complications.

How To Tell if You Have an Infected Wound

New or worsening pain can be the first sign of infection, particularly in a wound that had been healing normally before. Other signs of infection include:

• Increased redness, swelling, and pain at the wound site: An infection can cause the wound to become red and swollen, and it may be painful or sensitive to touch.
• Warmth to the touch: The wound and the area around it may feel warmer than the surrounding skin.
• Pus or drainage from the wound: The wound may start leaking white or cloudy liquid. There may be blood in the fluid, as well.
• Fever: Increased immune responses can raise the body temperature and cause a fever.
• Malaise: Infections can cause fatigue and lack of energy as the body uses more resources to fight the infection.

Is It Healing or Infected?

It can sometimes be hard to tell if changes to a wound or skin lesion are signs of infection or simply the normal healing process. Typical signs of healing include:

• Clear fluid draining from the wound
• Scabbing or crusting
• Minor redness and swelling
• Mild soreness that gets better over time

Treating Infected Wounds

Deciding how to care for an infected wound depends on how serious the infection is. Mild infections can be managed at home. If you have a more serious infection, you should see a health care provider for prescription antibiotics. Rarely do infections get so serious that they require hospitalization.

Mild Infections

If you have a mild infection, you can self-treat at home:

• Hygiene: Clean the wound regularly with soap and water or rinse it with sterile saline solution. Pat it dry using a clean towel.
• Topical medicine: Apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment or cream to the infection site.
• Protect the wound: Use a fresh sterile bandage to cover the wound each time you clean it.

Watch the wound for signs of improvement. If you notice new or worsening pain, swelling, or redness, contact a health care provider.

Moderate Infections

If an infection doesn’t respond to home care for infected wounds, you may need to see a health care provider. You can visit urgent care or an emergency room for treatment.

Medical staff will examine you, and they may need to debride the wound to remove infected tissue and clean the area.

They may also give you prescription antibiotics. These medicines fight the bacteria causing the infection and speed up the healing process.

If your health care provider prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. It’s important to take all the prescribed doses, even if the infection improves before you finish all the medication.

In addition, you should continue to clean and care for the wound. Your health care provider will tell you how to manage the infection and wound care after undergoing debridement.

Severe Infections

Severe infections require prompt medical treatment to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of your body or into your bloodstream.

Signs of a severe infection include:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Red streaks running from the wound
• Spreading redness around the wound
• Severe pain in or around the wound
• Looking or acting very ill, tired, or out of sorts

If you think you or a family member has a severe wound infection, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department.

You may need immediate treatment with IV antibiotics. If this happens, you may be admitted to the hospital for a few days to continue getting IV medicine. You’ll be able to go home once doctors are sure that the infection has healed.

In some cases, doctors may need to do surgery to drain the infection or remove infected tissue. You will probably also need IV antibiotics after surgery, so you’ll need to be in the hospital for at least a few days while you recover.

If you have a wound infection caused by animal bites or an injury with a rusty or dirty object, you may need a shot to prevent tetanus. Tetanus is a serious viral illness that can result in painful, debilitating muscle spasms.

When you are recovering from a wound infection, it’s important to take medications as directed and follow your health care provider’s instructions for caring for the infection site. Be sure to keep the wound clean and dry and change dressings regularly. Elevate the affected area if possible. Avoid swimming, baths, or soaking the wound in water. Apply ice packs to reduce swelling and soreness.

How To Prevent Wound Infections

If you have any kind of wound, you can take common sense steps to reduce the chances of it getting infected:

• Clean and disinfect wounds as soon as possible to remove dirt, debris, and any bacteria that may be present.
• Apply a clean sterile dressing, such as gauze or a bandage. Change the dressing regularly to keep the wound clean and dry.
• Always wash your hands before touching the wound.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after cleaning and rebandaging the wound, so you don’t risk spreading harmful bacteria.

When You Should Seek Medical Attention

If you have any concerns about a wound, how it’s healing, or possible signs of infection, contact a health care provider. They can examine the wound and provide any necessary treatment to speed up the healing process and prevent complications.

If you have an injury or wound that needs medical attention, skilled, compassionate health care providers at Next Level Urgent Care are here to help. We offer wound care, including first aid, stitches, cleaning, and dressing. If a wound becomes infected, we can prescribe the necessary antibiotics to aid in your healing.

With dozens of convenient locations in and around Austin, Houston, Beaumont, and San Antonio, you can find a Next Level Urgent Care near you. Stop by or download the Next Level app to get in line online.