The skin is normally a shield to germs and bacteria from the outside. When this shield is broken or penetrated, the tissue is open to germs from outside and to bacteria that live on the skin normally. When you think of the high number of germs on everything we touch, it is easy to understand why cleansing a wound quickly and properly is so important. If there is a lot of pain with the injury, the doctor or nurse practitioner may choose to apply a numbing medication before cleansing the wound. The scrubbing is usually done after the wound is numb.
Saline is just sterile water with a little added salt.
The process of examining the wound goes on as the health care provider cleanses it. Saline is poured into the wound to flush out germs and contaminants. Sometimes the doctor may use a syringe full of saline to spray the wound and flush out germs. The syringe is like a squirt gun. The medicine that is used to numb a cut is like the medicine the dentist uses to numb your mouth before working on your teeth.