When That Cut Might Need Stitches or Other Medical Care

Cuts and lacerations range from mild to severe, but it's not always easy to tell which yours is. 

Discerning the difference is essential, though. Sometimes, medical attention is necessary for your cut to heal correctly.  

At NewMed Immediate Care in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Ruchir Thakkar, DO, treats a wide range of cuts. In this blog, he explains how to tell if your injury needs professional care.

Important note: If your wound is life-threatening, visit an emergency facility. For other injuries that need more attention than DIY treatment, NewMed Immediate Care is here for you. 

Here are NewMed's guidelines for determining when a laceration may require medical intervention. 

What kind of wound do you have?

First, assess the type of wound you have. Most skin wounds fall into one of these categories:

Abrasions

This is when your skin scrapes against something hard or rough (like pavement), especially with significant force or impact. Scrapped knees and road rash are common abrasions. 

Since the skin is scraped away, there's nothing to stitch together. Still, cleaning the wound thoroughly is crucial. If you have difficulty removing dirt or debris from an abrasion, the NewMed team can help you.

Lacerations

People who work with sharp tools — from chefs to carpenters — often suffer lacerations on the job. Not that you need to work with tools to suffer a painful and deep cut. Whether a laceration needs stitches depends in part on how profusely it bleeds. This can depend on its location in your body.

Excessive bleeding requires a professional cleaning and stitches.

Punctures

Ever step on a nail or prick yourself with a thumb tack? These are puncture wounds, and they can be painful. They don't necessarily bleed a lot. Still, if the implement penetrates deeply enough, it can damage tissues and organs under the skin's surface. The opening can introduce bacteria or other pathogens. 

In such cases, a tetanus shot is necessary.

Avulsions

Avulsions are the most severe type of wound. Often, they're the result of a car accident or other traumatic event that crushes the body and tears open the skin and underlying tissues and muscles.

Take care of minor wounds at home

Minor cuts that don't bleed much or that stop bleeding in 10-20 minutes are okay to treat at home. Here's how:

• Clear away any debris
• Disinfect it
• Apply direct pressure and elevate the injured body part to stop the bleeding. 
• Wrap it with a sterile bandage
• Keep it clean and dry
• Use over-the-counter pain relievers if needed, NOT aspirin, which prolongs bleeding

If you notice any signs of infection, such as redness or swelling, that doesn't go away. 

Signs of an infection include:

• A fever
• Your skin is hot to the touch
• Red streaks near the wound
• Pus draining from the wound

In any of these instances, see us immediately.

When to seek urgent care for your wound

Some signs that your wound requires medical intervention for proper healing include:

• The cut is longer than half an inch
• Bleeding lasts longer than 20 minutes
• The edges of the cut are jagged
• There's glass or gravel you can't get out
• Blood is spurting out
• The injury was caused by a severe accident or an animal bite
• The object that cut you was dirty or rusty

If you have a serious cut or another type of skin wound that needs medical attention, contact NewMed Immediate Care by phone or online.