Write an article based on this "Prevent a skin infection by properly cleaning and bandaging a wound right away. Wash your hands before treating a wound. Keep pressure on the wound until it stops bleeding. Clean the wound with warm running water. Apply ointment. Bandage the wound. Watch for signs of infection."
Proper first aid treatment is essential to helping prevent a bacterial infection, but you should not attempt to treat a severe flesh wound by yourself. If the wound is deep, wide, or bleeding a lot, you should seek medical help immediately. If you treat a wound with dirty hands, you will increase the chances of a bacterial infection. Wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap for 20 seconds and dry them well. Wear clean vinyl or latex gloves if they are available. Avoid latex gloves if you have a latex allergy. If the bleeding is severe, seek medical attention immediately. Do not attempt to treat a severe wound by yourself. Go to an emergency room or call 911. Hold the wound under a gentle stream of running water to clean it. Do not use soap on the wound unless it appears visibly dirty. If it does seem dirty, clean around the wound gently with a mild soap. Also, do not use hydrogen peroxide to clean a wound. Hydrogen peroxide can interfere with healing. If you notice any debris in the wound, you can try to remove it with tweezers that have been sterilized with alcohol. If you do not feel comfortable doing that, you can go to a doctor for treatment. An antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, can help a wound heal faster and can help keep infection at bay. Gently apply the ointment to the wounded area after cleaning. If the wound is a small scrape, leave it open to the air. If the wound is deeper, cover it with a sterile gauze. A nonstick bandage held in place with medical tape is the best option for larger wounds, though large band-aids may also work. Be sure that you do not put the adhesive area of a bandage over a wound, as it may re-open the wound when you remove it. Change the gauze once a day if it is dirty. A good time to change the gauze is when you take a shower. If the wound is red, swollen, draining pus, streaking red away from the wound, or just looking worse, call your doctor.