Cuts in difficult places!

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,410
1,698
Cumbria
Thanks. Didn't look good when I took the plaster off late last night. Was lying in bed thinking my finger felt constricted. I think it was because my finger was bent in to protect the tip of my pad. So I took it off and my finger looked a bit white and wrinkly. The sore was not bleeding but clear fluid coming out, plasma is it? I put a looser plaster on and it's been OK since.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,410
1,698
Cumbria
So with cuts what happens normally in healing?

Bleeding seems to have stopped but there's the clear stuff seeping out. The cut looks the same colour as my skin which is pinkish when not constricted by tight plaster. Although it's starting to go cloudy yellow like a wet scab is forming. The skin is shrinking so the cut is more concave, if you know what I mean.

I just wonder what the healing stages are. Key points I think are cut, swear like a trooper, bleed everywhere, stop bleeding, plaster, cup of tea and carry on. Eventually dry wound and scab over, itch like a b... until healed and the scab comes off (possibly helped along). Am I missing a stage?
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,887
2,140
Mercia
I'm going to say that, in my opinion, micropore is the worst form of dressing tape in the world. It doesn't stick well, it's ridiculously fragile and dissolves in water.

When having long term treatment I came across hypafix dressing tape. Awesome stuff. Sticks like crazy, doesn't mind getting wet and tough. Comes in a variety of widths. Combine with some melolin gauze for very effective dressings


The other thing that every farmer, smallholder and vet uses is vet wrap. Brilliant stuff and not just for animals

 
  • Like
Reactions: Toddy

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,232
1,709
Vantaa, Finland
It doesn't stick well
There is apparently differences between people, it sticks very well to me.
dissolves in water.
The adhesive softens in water, especially warm one, I am not sure weather it is a feature or bug, so far I have found it useful when changing the tape.
it's ridiculously fragile
??? I don't quite get this, I have found it tough enough to last at least three days on my heels when trekking. I don't work for 3M but have found it to be a useful product.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SaraR

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
Your micropore must be a different quality to the stuff we can buy, or your hands aren't in and out of water, garden stuff, etc., all day long.
Micropore doesn't stay put on me, it gets grubby, it goes fluffy, it peels and it just isn't worth the hassle if I have any other option.

The hydrocolloid plasters that I first used were big ones for heels. I had new-ish boots on a field walking trip....three weeks in the sodden wet of the Lake District, blistered heels and no way to dry out the boots.
A plaster literally stuck over the blister and stayed on for five days in those conditions. I was utterly amazed, and so very, very pleased and relieved....and in no pain :)

That was over twenty years ago, and I still buy those plasters :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ESpy

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,887
2,140
Mercia
There is apparently differences between people, it sticks very well to me.

The adhesive softens in water, especially warm one, I am not sure weather it is a feature or bug, so far I have found it useful when changing the tape.

??? I don't quite get this, I have found it tough enough to last at least three days on my heels when trekking. I don't work for 3M but have found it to be a useful product.
I can only talk of my experience. Going through cancer treatment I had to wear large dressings for an extended period. Micropore was, frankly, bloody useless. The consultant who treated me told me about Hypafix & I found it vastly superior.

Adhesive that softens in water softens in sweat. The OP is dealing with a finger injury. I tend to wash my hands several times a day so that weird papery junk would definitely not work for me. As I say, everyone is different but I have had a lot of experience of dressings & tape & stand by my assertion that there are much better dressing tapes available.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,410
1,698
Cumbria
I must admit that micropore doesn't work for me as an outer layer over something else or the occasion I used it directly on a cut.

I also don't get on with the hydrocolloid/compeed type of plaster. They peel off in less than a day.

Elastoplast fabric sticks better than anything but isn't waterproof. It does stick through several days for me even with several easily of hands they're on.

The absolute best plaster I've ever used were bought on mallorca. Clear tape with well padded dressing part. It stuck through 2 days at a time and days in pool, on the beach and in the sea. Plus they were waterproof too!
 

Herman30

Native
Aug 30, 2015
1,539
1,214
58
Finland
Don´t remember the name but there is this blue band-aid that is on a roll and about 2 inch wide, and it sticks to itself. That is what I use for finger cuts.

 
Jan 20, 2008
6
2
38
north west
Beeswax.... hot enough to be liquid and cool enough not to also burn your fingertip... it does two things burns the cut clean (so less risk of infection) and dries hard (keeping crap out and blood in) ..... it also acts like a temporary skin and helps healing underneath... I also find that you don't need to worry about it and I'm not a big fan of plasters as others have said they get crappy/loose their adhesive and fall off/blood pours through them and on a fingertip/ thumb they get in the way or don't stick well enough to be any use... so I wrap it in something to slow the bleeding down nuke/cook some beeswax in a small container and stick my finger/thumb etc in it for a second so the wax sticks to my finger as it cools... then knock the excess off leaving a small amount round the wound site and in the wound

Although weird sounding and my Mrs goes mad when I do it, it works.... it also has the benefit that these Injuries to fingers/thumbs are often re-opened over and over again as they are healing, causing them to take longer to heal..... not when the wax is holding the wound closed it doesn't (so they also heal pretty quickly and pretty cleanly)
 

GNJC

Forager
Jul 10, 2005
167
121
Carms / Sir Gar
Rinse with something that stings then put enough bits of micropore tape over to protect - not too tightly; repeat after your daily wash.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
It's a bushcraft forum :)

Slice the thin base layer off Piptoporus betulina ....now called Fomitopsis betulia......in a plaster shape and wrap it around a cut or blister. Make sure it wraps around back onto itself. Shape it to the wound/finger and leave it alone to set.
It sticks to itself, holds well on you, and seals over the wound.
Mildly anti-bacterial it has so far left not a single scar :)
Soaks up a fair amount of blood too. Better to apply after most of the bleeding has stopped though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gg012

ESpy

Settler
Aug 28, 2003
925
57
54
Hampshire
www.britishblades.com
Last week I managed to cut my finger quite effectively - one of my head knives had shed its sheath so was live in the toolbox; I moved stuff to ensure everything fitted back in without seeing the exposed edge. Resulting slit in my index finger was about 30mm long and bled freely.

Localised pressure & elevated for about 15mins with a pad of kitchen paper on it. Don't use kitchen paper, it's not sterile BTW.
Antiseptic wipes, then 50mm melolin dressing (i.e. non adhesive film backed absorbent) wrapped round with one of the micropore-alikes once I could get a dressing on (still required pressure, but not bleeding as freely).
Covered with a PU glove for washing and vetwrap for day use. Didn't use finger bandages, although I've got some around' I tend to find it too restrictive.
Much swearing at the micropore as it came adrift, flailed around needed clipping back, quickly replaced with more (and more swearing).
24 hours between replacing dressings; ran through 4 days before I fell back on plasters just to keep it covered.
Plasters wrapped with gaffer tape to keep them in place and free from getting cack all over them.

I can now just manage to use fingerprint unlock on devices - which has been a colossal PITA given half the work systems seem to require reauth every 5 minutes.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Toddy

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
The silicon rubbery finger cots that the manicure girls use are brilliant to cover up cuts like that when you need to keep them clean and dry. Cheap too, I buy them by the 100 for about four pounds. I keep a couple beside the elastoplasts in my pocket FAK too.

Haven't bought from this link, it's just the first clear link I came across.
 

ranger85

Tenderfoot
Dec 28, 2011
51
11
north wales
kinesiology tape I've found to be a pretty solid all rounder, sticky comfortable and stretchy, bit of gauze pad under it and there's no end to what you can tape or cover!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wayne

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,762
785
-------------
Pretty sure this isn't doctor recommended but I sometimes just fire a bit of climbing chalk on which dries it up and staunches bloodflow from most cuts.

Or sawdust.

Dunno why but most plasters are tiny, to the point where they're no use at all cos they only cover the kind of cuts that I just don't bother with anyway.
 

Ystranc

Settler
May 24, 2019
535
404
55
Powys, Wales
Pretty sure this isn't doctor recommended but I sometimes just fire a bit of climbing chalk on which dries it up and staunches bloodflow from most cuts.

Or sawdust.

Dunno why but most plasters are tiny, to the point where they're no use at all cos they only cover the kind of cuts that I just don't bother with anyway.
Another product that is well known to stem bleeding from minor wounds in this way is baking soda.
Best not try to stop the bleeding immediately because the act of bleeding is the body’s natural response to clean the wound. Unless you have a disorder like haemophilia or are on blood thinners it shouldn’t be necessary.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE