How to Tell if You Have an Infected Wound
Skin infections can result from a cut, scrape, insect bite, burn or any other skin wound. Following an injury, many people are left wondering, "How do I know if I have a wound infection?" as they contemplate whether it's necessary to visit the doctor's office or hospital emergency room. Signs and symptoms of an infected wound can vary from person to person, so it's important to know the possible infection symptoms. If a skin infection or infected wound is suspected, medical attention may be necessary; serious skin infections often require antibiotic medication. Read on to learn how to know if you have an infection.
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Things You'll Need
- Bright lighting
- A friend to view the wound if it's located in a non-visible area like the back
- A skin wound that you suspect is infected
Instructions
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Look for redness around the wound. An infected wound will appear red and as the infection worsens, the area of redness will grow larger. The redness may extend down nearby veins, which indicates a severe and rapidly spreading infection, worthy of a visit to the hospital emergency room.
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Look for swelling around the wound. Swelling may affect the immediate area of an infected wound in the beginning; as the wound infection worsens, the swelling will extend. Sometimes, an entire limb or large portions of the body can become swollen.
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Look for increasing pain associated with the infected wound. An infected wound will become more and more painful as the infection worsens. A healthy wound may hurt in the beginning, but it should improve with time as healing occurs.
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Feel the area around the wound for warmth and tenderness. The area around the skin infection site may feel warm and this slight pressure of feeling for warmth is often painful for the person with the wound infection.
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Look for pus, discharge and wound odor. If the wound has pus or foul-smelling discharge, this is a symptom of an infection. Some discharge is expected from a fresh wound, but it should not be excessive, nor should it ever smell badly (unless the wound is infected.)
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Monitor the wound for enlargement. An infected wound will often become larger as the infection spreads and nearby tissue becomes infected.
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Tips & Warnings
Photograph the wound to see if it's getting worse. If you compare daily photos of a healthy wound, you should see gradual improvement. If a wound is infected, the daily photos will show no improvement or the appearance of the wound may worsen.
If you see redness radiating out from the wound site along the veins, this indicates a rapidly spreading infection that may be entering the bloodstream. This is an emergency situation that requires immediate medical attention.
If the skin around the wound appears black, green or discolored, this indicates a serious problem like gangrene or necrosis (tissue death.) Discolored or black skin around a wound is an emergency situation that requires immediate medical attention.
Bite wounds and puncture wounds are very prone to infection. Antibiotics, a tetanus shot or a series of shots for suspected rabies exposure may be required for an infected bite wound or puncture wound.
