Tips To Treat And Heal Those Summertime Cuts, Scrapes, And Bruises

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Summer's here, and kids are spending more time playing outdoors. All that running, climbing, and riding often means more scrapes and bruises.

But should you treat those nicks and cuts at home or take your child to the hospital? Dr. Purva Grover of the Cleveland Clinic's Children's says it comes down to location.

"If it's anywhere near one of the more vital organs like the eyes, genitalia area, or your face I would say you would probably want to get it looked at sooner rather than later, simply because these areas are sometimes very hard to examine and they bleed," said Grover.

Lacerations or cuts to the scalp, face, and mouth are more likely to bleed the most. It can be scarier, but often the bleeding is worse than the injury itself. Still, there are times when a cut needs more than a kiss and a bandage.

"If a wound is gaping in nature, which means if you put it together and it doesn't quite come together, then in all likelihood it is something which will need an extra level of attention," said Grover.

Minor cuts and scrapes should be washed thoroughly with clean water. It's best to avoid hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which both can irritate tissues. A bandage or antibiotic cream should be used in the early stages to stop bleeding and keep the area from becoming infected.

Once the wound starts to heal, it's best to remove the bandage and leave the area exposed. The trick, of course, is getting the bandage off without any drama.

"It sounds cruel but the easiest is the quickest, and the quickest is a loud 'ouch,' and then it's off," said Grover.

If after a few days a cut doesn't seem to be healing, or it's getting red and hot or there are streaks and things that look like scratch marks coming from the wound, those are signs of an infection which require immediate medical attention.