How to Treat a Minor Abrasion

A minor abrasion takes places when a friction-based injury removes part of the outermost layer of skin from a small portion of the injured person's body. Minor abrasions generally involve very little bleeding, a minimal amount of pain, and a lack of real danger to the victim. It is important, however, to treat even minor abrasions properly in order to avoid complications and unpleasant side effects. Here's how to treat a minor abrasion and avoid infection or other nasty repercussions.

Things You'll Need

• Clean bandages
• Antibacterial soap
• Warm water
• Antibacterial ointment
• Clean towel
• Over-the-counter pain medication (if necessary)

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Stop any bleeding that's taking place by placing a clean towel over the abrasion and applying firm, constant pressure until the flow of blood ceases.

• 2

  Run warm water over the minor abrasion to clean any surface dirt and debris out of the wounded area.

• 3

  Wash the abrasion gently but thoroughly with warm water and antibacterial soap. This process may hurt but it's important to kill any germs that got into the open skin and to remove any foreign matter from the site of the abrasion.

• 4

  Dry the area fully, once again being gentle, using a clean, dry towel.

• 5

  Apply antibacterial ointment to the minor abrasion liberally, including the skin just on the perimeter of the injury. This will, once again, help minimize the chance of infection developing.

• 6

  Place a sanitary bandage over the site of the abrasion, making sure that it fits snugly but doesn't seem too tight.

• 7

  Change the bandage daily, reapplying antibacterial ointment, until the wound seems to be healing steadily.

• 8

  Watch for any sign of infection, including redness, swelling, or increased pain. If any of these symptoms develop, seek medical attention as soon as possible.