First Aid

First Aid covers antiseptics, dressings, bandages, pain relief, burn care and the supplies for a home first aid kit.

What a Home Kit Should Contain

• Adhesive plasters in several sizes, and sterile gauze pads

• An antiseptic solution or cream, and saline for irrigation

• Crepe and adhesive bandages, and micropore tape

• Scissors, tweezers and disposable gloves

• A digital thermometer

• Paracetamol, and an oral rehydration salt sachet or two

• Any personal medication — an inhaler, an allergy medicine

• Keep it in one place that everyone knows, out of reach of children, and check the dates twice a year. A kit with an expired antiseptic and no plasters is not a kit.

Treating a Wound Properly

• Wash your hands, and wear gloves if the wound is not your own.

• Press firmly with a clean cloth to stop bleeding, and raise the limb if you can. Most bleeding stops within ten minutes of firm pressure.

• Rinse with clean running water or saline. This does more than any antiseptic — the point is to remove dirt.

• Pat the surrounding skin dry and cover with a sterile dressing.

• Change the dressing daily, or whenever it is wet or dirty.

• Do not use antiseptic on a wound repeatedly — strong antiseptics damage healing tissue. Clean it once, then keep it clean and covered.

Burns — the One Most People Get Wrong

• Cool running water for twenty minutes. Not five, and start as soon as possible — this genuinely reduces the depth of the burn and the scarring.

• Never apply toothpaste, butter, oil, ice or ash to a burn. All of them are traditional, all of them make it worse, and ice causes further tissue damage. Cover loosely with cling film or a clean non-fluffy cloth afterwards, and do not burst blisters.

• Go to hospital for a burn larger than the person’s palm, any burn to the face, hands, feet or genitals, any burn on a child, an electrical or chemical burn, or one that looks white or leathery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should a wound be left open to dry out?

No — that is an old idea. Wounds heal faster and scar less kept slightly moist and covered. Clean it, cover it, change it daily.

When does a cut need stitches?

If it gapes open, is deeper than the skin, will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is on the face, or was caused by something dirty or an animal bite. Go the same day — stitches work best within a few hours.

What are the signs of infection?

Increasing pain after the first day, spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus, red streaks running from the wound, or a fever. Any of those needs a doctor.

How much shelf life will it have?

We stock to arrive well within date and do not knowingly ship anything close to expiry. If you need a specific minimum for a particular order, ask before placing it and we will check the batch.

How do I know the product is genuine?

Check the seal, the batch number and the expiry printed on the pack itself rather than on a sticker over it. Everything we sell is sourced to arrive sealed and within date, and if what you receive does not match the listing we will put it right.