Urgent care treatment from Northwest Urgent Care, located in Amarillo, Texas, can help you with your minor cuts, lacerations and wounds.

Minor skin wounds include lacerations, cuts, abrasions, blisters and puncture wounds. These wounds often occur as the result of unanticipated trauma. An urgent care center for diagnosis and treatment can make sure that a minor cut, laceration or wound does not become infected and potentially dangerous. The medical professionals at Northwest Urgent Care locations in Amarillo, Texas, can help treat various types of wounds and lower the risk of infection.

Types of Wounds

  • Lacerations — With deeper skin damage and bruising, lacerations are irregularly shaped wounds that usually have ragged skin edges.
  • Cuts — With clean edges as the result of what caused the injury, such as a knife, a cut can bleed profusely. Nerve and muscle damage may occur in some cases, and a trip to an urgent care can help stop the bleeding and provide stitches.
  • Abrasions — These more superficial wounds come from sliding across a rough surface and often contain dirt and gravel.
  • Blisters — Painful, but common, blisters come from friction between the top two layers of the skin.
  • Punctures — Made by a pointed object such as a knife or nail, a puncture wound doesn’t usually cause excessive bleeding. Often the wound seems to close almost instantly (a closed wound), but treatment is still needed due to the risk of infection.

Cleaning the Wound and Signs of Infection

One of the largest risks with minor open wounds is wound infection. Often containing debris and bacteria from the cause of the injury, these injuries are considered “dirty wounds.” Always perform a visual check for the presence of foreign material in the break in the skin. Remove this debris before dressing the wound if able and request a tetanus shot if you have not had one within five years.

Wounds require cleaning to:

  • Prevent infection
  • Encourage wound healing
  • Start the healing process.

To reduce the risk of an infection wash the wound right away with soap and water.

A severe cut can be a dangerous, traumatic experience that requires immediate medical attention, in which case you should call 9-1-1 and go to the emergency room.

Choose Urgent Care for Minor Cuts

Diagnosing your cut can be important when it comes to treating your injury. An urgent care center can accurately diagnose your cut, tell you how to treat your injury and provide emergency medicine, if needed. When dealing with a cut, applying pressure to the injured area can help with wound care until you decide where to go to treat it.

Contact Us Now

Northwest Urgent Care, located in Amarillo, Texas, is open every day from 9 am – 5 pm for patients who may need urgent care treatment. Our team of medical professionals are here to help with minor cuts, lacerations and wounds. A trip to our urgent care can also allow our urgent care medical professionals to refer you to the right wound specialist, if needed. Walk-in or make a reservation online.