Abrasions on knees in children: how to treat?

Small wounds, cuts and abrasions are all common and quite common. You often encounter such troubles in everyday life. Most often, children encounter such problems, but adults are by no means immune from minor injuries.

On the one hand, the majority are sure that they probably know what to do - iodine, alcohol, a plaster or a bandage are the main helpers in trouble. However, everything is somewhat more complicated, because if the wound is treated incorrectly, you can get complications that will lead to infection, prolonged healing or an unsightly scar.

Why can an abrasion in a child be dangerous?

Such an injury is a violation of the integrity of the upper layer of skin (epidermis), which appears in response to a blow with a blunt object or remains on the body upon sharp contact with a rough surface. Such damage most often bleeds, but may be limited to only redness and swelling. Regardless of the degree and depth of the wound, the child feels pain and burning.

In themselves, such injuries are not dangerous. However, if you do not give them proper attention and treatment, the skin damage may take longer to heal. An additional danger is the possibility of infection of the wound. In this case, the injury is almost always accompanied by suppuration, local fever, and sometimes even sepsis. In addition, it must be taken into account that pollution can cause dangerous diseases such as tetanus. Therefore, every parent should know how to provide first aid to their child.

Causes of purulent wounds

The immediate cause of the development of suppuration in the wound is the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into it and their reproduction. Today in traumatology and surgery it is generally accepted that any accidental (i.e. not caused for medical purposes, not surgical) wound is infected - it contains one or another amount of bacteria. However, not every wound suppurates, since for suppuration a simultaneous combination of several factors is necessary: • a severe degree of tissue damage; • the presence of dead tissue and/or bleeding in the wound; • the presence of dead tissue and/or bleeding in the wound; • high concentration of pathogenic microorganisms.

According to research results, for the development of infection in normal undamaged tissues, a concentration of microbes in a volume of 100 thousand microbial bodies per 1 gram of tissue is required. More precisely, this is the so-called critical level of bacterial contamination, when exceeded, the inflammatory process begins. However, this level can decrease under certain conditions: • if there are foreign bodies or bleeding in the wound, the critical level decreases to 10 thousand microbes per 1 gram of tissue; • with ligature ischemia - disruption of the blood supply to tissues in the area where the ligature is tied - the level decreases to 1 thousand microbes per 1 gram.

Many other factors also influence the likelihood of developing suppuration.

1. Nature of the wound. Most often, lacerated and lacerated wounds fester due to the large amount of damaged and dead tissue; Also, such wounds are more often accompanied by contamination. Puncture wounds suppurate with a similar frequency - due to the long and thin wound channel in which purulent exudate accumulates, and a small hole in the skin that impedes its outflow. Suppuration is most rarely observed on incised wounds.

2. Location of the wound. The lower the wound is on the body, the greater the risk of suppuration. Most often, wounds fester on the feet, somewhat less often on the stomach, back, chest, and arms. The risk is lowest for head and neck wounds.

3. General condition of the body. Low immunity and general weakness increase the risk of suppuration. With good immunity, the body is able to cope even with significant bacterial insemination - the inflammatory process will proceed more violently, but quickly and will not spread to surrounding tissues.

4. Presence of somatic diseases. In addition to acute conditions that reduce immunity, chronic diseases increase the risk of suppuration and reduce the rate of healing. Diabetes mellitus is especially dangerous in this regard - due to metabolic disorders, tissues regenerate extremely slowly, and suppuration and inflammation develop even with minor wounds.

5.Age. The older a person is, the higher the risk of developing infection.

6. Build. Obese people have a higher risk of developing infection than thin people.

7. Environmental conditions. At high temperatures and humidity, the likelihood of suppuration increases.

All these factors must be taken into account when starting treatment.

Inflammation and suppuration are most often caused by bacteria such as streptococci, staphylococci, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Escherichia coli. These microorganisms are classified as a special category of pyogenic bacteria. However, in certain cases, suppuration can also be caused by other bacteria - pneumococci, shigella, salmonella.

How to treat a child’s abrasions: first aid and treatment

The first thing you need to do is stop the bleeding. A pressure bandage is ideal for this.
Next, you need to clean the damaged area of skin. For this purpose, you can use hydrogen peroxide, a weak soap solution, or simply clean running water.
After you have cleaned the surface of the wound, you need to treat the injured area with an antiseptic to disinfect it. For this purpose, use a solution of chlorhexidine bigluconate. You should not smear the damage with brilliant green or iodine, as such an action can lead to skin burns: only the adjacent undamaged areas and the edges of the wound should be treated with them.
It is recommended to leave the wound open, as this helps it dry out quickly. If there is a risk of contamination, you can apply a bandage with an bactericidal patch, which must be changed once a day. This will help avoid the wound getting wet and microbes multiplying in its cavity. You should avoid applying cotton swabs, since as the wound dries, the cotton wool will stick to it.

How to prevent complications

You should not scratch wounds so as not to disturb the layer of connective tissue.
It is almost impossible to heal abrasions on the knee quickly. Many patients forget about this and 1-2 days after receiving an injury, when it has not yet fully healed, they stop following the rules of wound hygiene. This approach, as well as improper treatment and insufficiently frequent bandage changes lead to complications.

Preventing negative consequences is much easier than curing them. Basic rules for reducing the risk of complications:

It is necessary to change dressings as often as possible and use only sterile materials. Then the likelihood of bacterial growth will be minimized.
You can't keep the wound closed all the time. At least at home, during sleep, when the risk of contamination is minimal, the bandage should be removed.
If the wound is deep, a purulent crust has formed, and the wound area begins to hurt severely, you should consult a doctor.
Do not scratch the wound, tear off the scab, or disturb the layer of connective tissue. This will cause scarring and increase the chance of infection; a purulent sore may develop.
If possible, you should avoid using home remedies. It is cheaper and easier to buy simple medications against abrasions (baby cream) and antiseptics (iodine, peroxide).

How long will it take for a wound to heal if the skin is deeply torn off? You can get rid of pain symptoms in 1-2 hours. It will not be possible to heal the wound itself with lightning speed; it will take 2-14 days.

Proper wound hygiene, timely change of bandages, and frequent treatment of abrasions with healing compounds will help you recover from injury as quickly as possible. Particular attention should be paid to young patients who are at greatest risk of inflammation. They must be under parental supervision at all times.

How to treat abrasions on a child’s face - on the forehead, on the nose, under the eye?

In addition to the fact that a facial injury attracts the attention of others and causes psychological discomfort to the child, such damage can be dangerous for another reason: it can leave stains and even scars. Therefore, when treating a wound, it is important not to waste time and treat the damage as quickly as possible in the manner described above. You also need to ensure that the child does not scratch the drying crusts, as this may leave scars on the face.

How to smear abrasions on a child’s face so that after recovery there are no traces left of them? We recommend using La-Cri restorative cream for this purpose - a safe non-hormonal product that provides a quick and effective effect.

Useful tips for treating wounds, bruises and abrasions: what to do if a child falls?

When going for a walk with your baby, grab a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a package of sterile bandages and a bactericidal patch. These things won't take up much space in your bag or pocket, but they will come in handy if your child gets injured.
It is not necessary to clean the damaged surface with an antiseptic if you don’t have one at hand: simple clean water will also help deal with contamination of the wound if you don’t have hydrogen peroxide with you.
Don't let your child pick off scabs.
Keep your baby's nails short so that the dirt that accumulates underneath them does not get into the cavity of the wound, if he still manages to comb and tear off the scab.

Restoring cream "La-Cri" - your help in regenerating damaged skin

Restoring cream "La-Cri" is well suited for the rapid regeneration of healing tissues. It is recommended to use it at the stage when the wound has already dried sufficiently and the crust has fallen off.

The cream reduces itching and irritation, relieves redness, fights germs, softens and nourishes the skin. The composition of the product is absolutely safe: it does not contain hormones or fragrances, so the cream is recommended for use even by very young children. Extracts of violet, walnut and string, panthenol, bisabolol and avocado oil effectively fight inflammatory processes, have a calming and healing effect.

The infection must be suppressed

To combat infection in a wound, it is best to use ACTICOAT and ACTICOAT7 dressings. These are mesh absorbent dressings that allow unimpeded drainage of exudate from the wound and fight infection. These dressings contain silver. The antibacterial activity of silver has been known for many years and its effectiveness is beyond doubt. The activity of silver is not affected by the presence of blood and pus in the wound. All causative agents of wound infections, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are not resistant to silver. Silver has a universal, wide spectrum of action, including against mixed microflora containing various bacteria, fungi, and yeast. The use of dressings with silver leads to rapid suppression of the inflammatory reaction in the wound, and at the same time the amount of discharged exudate decreases.

It is important that the silver in ACTICOAT and ACTICOAT7 dressings begins to be released immediately as soon as the dressing is applied to the wound, and quickly, within the first 30 minutes, the necessary concentration of silver is achieved in the wound to fight infection, and this concentration of silver is maintained at a constant level throughout long-term - up to 3 days when using ACTICOAT dressings and up to 7 days when using ACTICOAT7 dressings, thereby ensuring long-term antibacterial activity of the dressings, so the ACTICOAT dressing can be on the wound for up to 3 days, and the ACTICOAT7 dressing up to 7 days, with external absorbent dressings (gauze or Allevyn sponge) must be changed daily.

Use an acticoate dressing to effectively fight infection.

Clinical researches

Clinical trials conducted by the company prove the high effectiveness, safety and tolerability of products for daily skin care for children with mild to moderate forms of atopic dermatitis. As a result of therapy, the following was noted after using La-Cri cream for sensitive skin:

itching and irritation are reduced;
skin redness goes away;
the skin is moisturized and becomes smooth.

Sources:

Cohen Bernard A. Pediatric dermatology, MEDpress-inform, 2015.
Kildiyarova Rita Rafgatovna, Pediatrician for every day. Guide for doctors, GEOTAR-Media, 2021.
Anderson, Arici, Azzopardi, Visual neonatology. Guide, GEOTAR-Media, 2021.