How to Treat a Skin Flap or Abrasion During First Aid

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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A skin flap is a tear of the skin away from the body which leaves one side of the skin still attached. An avulsion is when the skin, and often the tissue below, is entirely removed. Both require special treatment in the wilderness, and if the wound is more than 1 inch in diameter, a skin graft may be required.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Mild Soap Such As Dishwashing Liquid
Disinfected water
Rubber Or Latex Gloves
Povidone-iodine
Clear palstic bottle
Tweezers
Tweezers
Irrigation Syringe
Bandages
Bandages
Tape
Tape
Tape

Continued Care and Evacuation

Step 1

Monitor the wound for infection. See "How to Evaluate a Wound for Infection."
Step 2

Evacuate and seek medical help immediately.

Preparation

Step 1

Scrub hands thoroughly with soap and disinfected water.
Step 2

Put on latex gloves to prevent the spread of infectious disease.
Step 3

Evaluate and treat the injured person for shock. See "How to Evaluate for Shock" and "How to Treat for Shock."
Step 4

Prepare a disinfectant solution of 1 oz. povidone-iodine and 1 liter disinfected water. See "How to Disinfect Water." Set the disinfectant solution aside for about five minutes.

Dressing and Bandaging the Wound

Step 1

If the skin has been removed entirely, dress and bandage the wound as you would an abrasion. See "How to Bandage a Wound During First Aid."
Step 2

If a flap of skin is still attached, use tweezers to reposition the skin over the wound.
Step 3

Place closure strips or small strips of tape along the edges to hold the skin in place - this flap will serve as a skin graft. Space strips so that there are enough openings between them to allow the wound to drain if it becomes infected.
Step 4

Dress and bandage the wound with a bulky dressing. See "How to Bandage a Wound During First Aid."
Step 5

Immobilize the limb to prevent movement of the skin flap. See eHows on splinting.

Cleaning the Wound

Step 1

Scrub the area around the wound using a nailbrush and disinfectant solution. Scrubbing may be painful to the injured person, but it is important that all debris surrounding the wound is removed.
Step 2

Sterilize two pairs of tweezers using the disinfectant solution.
Step 3

If the skin is still attached, pull the flap back using one pair of sterilized tweezers.
Step 4

Remove all large pieces of dirt, debris, dead skin and flakes of clotted blood from the wound using the second pair of sterilized tweezers.
Step 5

Draw the disinfectant solution into an irrigation syringe.
Step 6

Hold the syringe perpendicular to the wound, about 2 to 3 inches above it. Angle the syringe and tilt the wound so that the solution will hit the wound and drain away from the opening.
Step 7

Press down on the plunger to emit a forceful stream of solution. Repeat the irrigation, using 1/2 to 1 liter of solution. You may need to use more if the wound is especially dirty. Make sure the flap of skin is also rinsed thoroughly.
Step 8

Rinse the wound and skin flap liberally with disinfected water, because the disinfectant solution may cause irritation to the skin if left on.
Step 9

Recheck the wound for bleeding, because blood clots may have been dislodged. You may have to apply pressure to stop bleeding. See "How to Stop Mild Bleeding During First Aid."
Step 10

Check the clothing and area around the injured person to make sure his or her skin won't be exposed to disinfectant solution for a prolonged period of time, which may cause burning.