In our day to day life, you may at one time experience a cut on any part of your body. This may happen either in the kitchen or in the field of work trying to cut something. When you get a cut, your body will automatically get into activities that will help in trying to stop the bleeding. However, this process may require some help so that it takes as short time as possible to stop the bleeding. When it comes on how to stop a cut from bleeding, there a number of things you should, and we are going to discuss them in this post.
How Long Does it Take to Stop a Bleeding from a Cut?
When you get a cut, it may be hurting so much which is normal but bleeding should not continue for long time as this will make you lose a lot of blood. The first thing that should come in your mind after you get a cut is how to stop it from bleeding. Is there any first aid that will help to rescue the situation?
First aid will not only stop the cut from bleeding excessively, but it will also ensure your wound is clean and in a position to heal as first as possible, through preventing any infection that may take advantage of the poor hygiene.
Blood clotting process
When you get a cut, your body may try to stop bleeding via coagulation – a process whereby a blood clot is formed on the affected area. This is a normal mechanism, unlike the blood clotting that take place in the veins of your legs, which it gets its way to the lungs can pose a very dangerous condition.
During this complex process referred to as coagulation cascade, a certain enzyme found in the blood commonly known as thrombin allows a protein called fibrinogen to form a net-like structure that eventually hardens up and contracts.
In combination with platelets (blood component for clotting process), they may together facilitate the formation of a blood clot. This is how blood clotting process happens in order to stop bleeding from a cut biologically.
However, some medications such as aspirin can thin the blood and some health problems such as hemophilia or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) may pose a problem on the clotting process of your body. These conditions may also make it hard for body to stop bleeding automatically.
How to Stop a Cut from Bleeding
It is very important to stop bleeding as fast as you can so that you prevent yourself from losing a lot of blood. In some cases, immediately you stop bleeding, pain that originate from the cut will eventually fade away. Therefore, it is very important to know numerous processes that may help you on how to stop a cut from bleeding. The steps you have to take after you get a cut may depend on the following factors:
- How big the cut is – if the cut is big, this means that bleeding will be high and therefore more cautious measures should be taken.
- How deep the cut is – if the cut is dip, this means it damaged the inner vessels of the body and therefore bleeding will be high, and more special treatment is required
- Area of the body on which you got a cut – there are some areas on the blood that have fewer vessels and therefore bleeding is not much, while other areas of the body like muscles have numerous blood vessels hence more caution should be observed
- Environmental factors – it is said in hot humid areas, blood flow is high and therefore bleeding may be high as compared to cold areas where blood clotting process is very fast.
How to stop a small cut from bleeding
Step 1: wash the area with tap water
If you happen to cut your finger while you were slicing tomatoes or cut yourself while you were shaving, you first have to wash the wound immediately to prevent germs from infecting it.
Step 2: apply pressure on the wound
You may then use a paper towel, tissue or gauze to apply pressure directly to the wound so that you can stop the bleeding. This is because pressure applied on the wound will help to slow blood flow, which enable the body form a blood clot very easily. While you do this, the bleeding will stop or slow down significantly.
Step 3: clean the wound
If the bleeding has stopped, you may then run some warm water over the area of the wound with antiseptic soap to ensure that it is clean. Some sources advise not to wash the wound itself.
Step 4: apply medication on the wound
After that you may apply antibiotic cream to ensure no bacteria will take advantage of the wound to cause infection.
Step 5: cover the wound
After ensuring the wound is clean and dis-infected, you should cover it with a band aid or gauze and then apply a tape. Make sure you change this daily and keep the area as clean as [possible daily. This helps to protect the cut from outside germs and re-opening.
How to stop a big cut from bleeding
Step 1: apply direct pressure on the wound
In case you have a larger cut, the process of stopping it from bleeding is slightly different. For big cuts, the process of stopping the bleeding should be fast enough so that the patient does not lose a lot of blood in a short period of time. In this case, it is recommended that you apply a direct, focused pressure on the site of the wound for about 10 minutes so that the bleeding can stop. It may take several minutes before a stable clot is formed on the wound to stop bleeding. Therefore, direct pressure applied on the wound will prevent increased loss of blood in the meantime.
Step 2: Wash the area of the wound
Once the bleeding has stopped you may wash the wound by use of tap water and antiseptic soap to ensure it is clean (while doing this make sure your hands are clean),
Step 3: apply an antibiotic
Then apply an antibiotic cream to prevent any infections and the bandage to cover the wound.
In both scenario, it is also recommended that the patient get a tetanus shot in case he/she haven’t had one before in a span of five years back and the wound is dirty and deep. Some parts of the body may bleed more than others as we stated above, therefore you should not panic if you see more blood is these areas. These may include the shin and other areas will a lot of blood vessels such as the muscles.
How to Stop a cut from bleeding Home Remedies
While at home, there at numerous treatments you may use to treat a cut. You do not necessarily need to have an intervention of over the counter medication. Some of the home remedies that may help to stop a cut from bleeding include the following:
- Coffee grounds
In case you tried a simple first aid and it did not offer any help while trying to stop bleeding, you may try coffee grounds. The leftover coffee grounds can provide excellent results when it comes to stopping bleeding from a minor cut. In case you do not have coffee grounds at hand, you may as well use dry instant coffee.
You just need to sprinkle some coffee grounds evenly over the wound and let it stay there for 5 to 10 minutes, then brush it off with your clean hand. Use this three times a day if the wound won’t stop bleeding. You should keep your wound dry while using coffee grounds.
- Cayenne pepper
Though applying this home remedy on your bleeding wound may sound like an awfully painful act, it is not as you may think. Cayenne pepper is a home remedy that has been used for long time when it comes to stopping a bleeding cut in less than one minute. It contains an active ingredient referred to as capsaicin that helps in blocking pain signals to the brains to reduce pain.
This home remedy is very effective when it comes to treating dry mouth as well, reducing migraine pain and getting rid of laryngitis. You just need to apply cayenne pepper on the cut and let it stay there for around 5 minutes, before brushing it off.
If there is need, you may apply cayenne pepper and then cover the wound with a bandage to prevent germs from the outside and promote faster healing. Cayenne paper can stop bleeding from minor cuts within a period of 10 seconds. You may need to repeat the use of the remedy at least twice a day in case the bleeding won’t stop.
- Raw honey
This a home remedy used for treating numerous conditions at home. In this case, natural honey is considered as a natural antibiotic. When natural honey is applied on a bleeding would, it produces hydrogen peroxide that helps in disinfecting the wound and promoting faster healing of the skin.
You just have to cover the bleeding cut with honey. Smear the wound generously with honey before covering it with a bandage if needed. Natural honey may as well help when it comes to killing bacteria on open wounds. Do this at least twice a day.
- Ground black pepper
This is considered as a natural antibacterial agent that can encourage blood to coagulate quickly so that bleeding may stop in small and medium sized cuts and wounds. Ground black pepper may also be used to promote faster healing of the wounds and may prevent scarring as well.
You just have to sprinkle black ground pepper generously on the cut, and apply pressure on the wound using a bandage or clean fingers until bleeding stops. The bleeding will stop within one minute, and cover the area with a bandage overnight before changing the dressing the next day.
- Styptic pencil/alum
This may also be used to stop bleeding from minor cuts. Alum is a common agent used when it comes to sealing cuts that result from wet shaving and it may treat canker sores. Alum is said to be aluminum sulfate that contains astringent properties. Therefore, it can constrict blood capillaries and stop bleeding in a short time as possible.
You just need to rub alum block or styptic pencil over the cut or wound. Then, wait for a few seconds and reapply if there is need. This home remedy can stop bleeding from wounds in a short time and facilitate quick healing.
- Vaseline
Though this remedy will not speed up the coagulation of blood in any case, however, it creates a protective seal on the wound that will prevent it from further bleeding and may as well protect the cut from infections. This will then give the blood sufficient time to form a clot on the cut naturally and seal the wound.
In this case, scoop some Vaseline and apply it directly on the cut. This will prevent the flow of blood and help to stop bleeding instantly.
- other home remedies that may help
Some other home remedies that may prevent bleeding after they are applied on the wound may include the following:
- Turmeric powder mixed with little amount of water to form a paste
- Calendula tincture
- Aloe Vera gel
How to Stop Bleeding in Mouth
Most of the cuts in the mouth are caused by accidentally biting yourself while enjoying that favorite meal or injuring yourself while brushing. You may as well hit yourself on something on the areas around the mouth and cheeks and develop a wound in the mouth in that process. There are numerous steps you can follow when it comes to stopping mouth wounds from bleeding. If emergency care is not needed, the following steps may help to protect the wound from excess bleeding.
Before you try to stop bleeding in mouth, Wash your hands effectively with water and soap.
- Inner lip bleeding
Press the bleeding site against the teeth or jaw or place a rolled or folded piece of gauze between the lip and gum. One bleeding from inside the lip has stopped, do not pull it out again to look at it. You should avoid laughing or yawning uncontrollably as it may make the bleeding to begin again.
- Tongue bleeding
Squeeze the bleeding area with gauze or a piece of clean cloth for some period of time until bleeding stops. Meanwhile you should not try to suck your tongue as this may increase the bleeding.
- Inner cheek bleeding
In this case, place a rolled gauze or a clean piece of clothe between the wound and the teeth. After that you may apply pressure from the outside of the cheek on the affected area so that you may reduce the bleeding.
Note: In case you had a tooth extraction, you will need to follow the instructions of your dentist. If no instruction was given, place a ball of gauze in the area where the tooth was extracted and let it stay there until bleeding will stop. If pressure does not control the bleeding you may try biting a moistened tea bag for some few minutes. While you practice all these, you should avoid spitting, using tobacco products, and sucking anything, they may make bleeding to become worse.
Mild bleeding usually stops without any intervention, or may slow after a slight pressure is applied on the wound. In case of a skin flap, return it into its normal position as it may help to stop bleeding. If possible, help the flap to remain in its position with the help of a clean cloth or gauze.
How to stop a Shaving Cut from Bleeding
A cut while shaving may be caused by a bump on the skin or an ingrown hair. This is because, while your shaving master blade was sliding on a smooth skin, it got held by the bump to cause a cut. In some cases, it may just be due to shaving too fast. However, shaving cuts are normal and no one would want to walk around with open wounds. There are numerous ways you may use to stop a shaving cut from oozing more blood and it is important to know them.
- You may hold a tissue paper on the wound until it stops bleeding in case you do not know much when it comes to this problem. Minor nicks have numerous ways to heal them. Best of these ways will disinfect and eventually heal the wound.
- Other men would prefer the lip-balm method. The lip-balm facilitates cleaning the cut, halting the bleeding and healing the wound quickly
Shave –Cut Healing Regimen
- Press a warm towel against the affected area for about 30 seconds until the bleeding stops or slow down. Warm water may help to clean the wound and reduce blood loss.
- Apply a witch hazel based tonner on the wound or alcohol free solution to disinfect the cut.
How to Stop a Bleeding Finger Cut
If you cut your finger while cooking, you may just use the same process we talked about while looking at minor cut injuries above. Finger injuries are common and they usually do not require any emergency treatment. However, if the cut is too deep, or the sharp object has stuck in the skin, the bleeding is too much that you cannot control, you may seek the help of your medical provider.
More references
- How to stop bleeding from skin wound: https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/how-to-stop-bleeding-from-a-skin-wound
- Mouth wounds: how to stop bleeding: https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/mouth-wounds-how-to-stop-bleeding-topic-overview