When does a cut require stitches?

Don’t Take Chances With Infection: Our Caldwell, Idaho, Clinic Offers Care Without a Wait Time

Cuts are so common that it isn’t always easy to tell when an injury is serious enough to warrant a trip to your local urgent care. Many cuts don’t require much treatment beyond antiseptic and a bandage, but some should always be examined to avoid infection or further wound complications.

At Core Medicine Urgent Care and Family Practice, we want you to be in control of your health. Read more to learn how to recognize the signs of a serious injury, or schedule an appointment to protect your body without having to risk your wallet or your well-being. 

5 Signs Your Cut Needs Additional Care

While cuts and lacerations are essentially the same thing, as they’re both breaks in the skin, they have key differences: 

• A cut is usually a smooth, straight break in the skin without removing connective tissue. Think of a cat scratch across your hand, or a nick in your finger when slicing a vegetable. 
• A laceration is also a cut, but it's often wider and deeper, with irregular edges, torn skin, and possibly damaged connective tissue. Lacerations are cuts, but worse, and are caused by blunt trauma or sharp objects. 

If you’ve sustained a cut no worse than a cat scratch, and you’re not experiencing an obvious urgent medical emergency, you can typically clean and care for your wound quickly. Run water over the injury site before washing it with soap and rinsing off. But always take a closer look before adding antiseptic and a bandage. 

In other circumstances, you’ll need stitches for a cut if: 

1. The wound was made by an animal or another person. 
2. The cut keeps bleeding even after you’ve applied pressure for 10 or more minutes. 
3. You can see specks of debris in the wound, like glass or gravel. 
4. Your laceration is so wide that it can’t be held or pinched together. 
5. There are jagged edges around the injury. 

More serious lacerations can sometimes expose structures beneath the skin, including muscle, tendon, and fatty tissue. If you can see anything other than blood and broken skin, you most likely need stitches and should get medical treatment right away to prevent infection.

Other Factors to Consider When You’re on the Fence About Urgent Care

Although certain signs should always trigger a visit to urgent care, some cuts that need stitches toe the line between “I can probably treat this at home” and “I might need an expert’s input.” If you’re wavering about the best course of action, consider the following factors before making a decision. 

• Length and depth of the laceration. Cuts deeper than a quarter-inch, or longer than a half-inch, typically need stitches. 
• Amount of blood loss. Most lacerations that need stitches bleed for more than a few minutes or seep through the bandage. 
• Pain, swelling, and inflammation. These symptoms indicate that your immune system is reacting to the incident, but if they don’t subside within a couple of hours, it could be time for professional care.
• The cut’s location. Cuts to sensitive regions and body parts—like the face, neck, eyelids, and genitals—can require emergency care even if they aren’t very long or very deep. 
• Cause of injury. Animal bites and rust-covered objects can present significant risks of infection, even when they aren’t painful or don’t cause excessive bleeding. You might need a rabies or tetanus shot as part of your treatment. 

The Core Medicine of Idaho Advantage: Compassionate Care at an Affordable Cost

Most people have sustained enough nicks to know when a cut is more than a common injury. However, making the choice to get into the car—or ask for a ride—isn’t always easy, especially when treatment entails spending hours in a waiting room or putting part of a paycheck aside to cover routine costs. 

You don’t have to take chances with your health. Even if you just need a few stitches, our health care professionals take pride in offering compassionate, convenient care at a price families can afford. Our Caldwell clinic offers a variety of services, including: 

• Experienced staff who help evaluate, treat, and stitch your injury. 
• Average wait times of zero minutes. An on-site laboratory and pharmacy so you don’t have to make another trip to pick up antibiotics or submit a blood sample.

When you need immediate care, trust the experts at our urgent care clinic to make your health a priority.