During the summertime, minor cuts and scrapes are common injuries. If you suffer from a mild injury and have plans to go to the beach, you may be wondering whether salty water can help your wound heal. Keep reading to learn about whether salt water has any known health benefits. If you are injured and plan on going to the beach, visit AFC Urgent Care Southcenter for rapid same-day injury treatment. We maintain short wait times, making it easy and convenient to get care for your injury before your big beach day. Simply walk into the clinic!
Do Minor Wounds Require Medical Treatment?
In the bustle of everyday life, small injuries like a minor cut or scrape are common. These kinds of injuries are especially common among young children who are playing outside and roughhousing. In most cases, these types of minor injuries do not require immediate medical attention. Injuries that aren’t particularly large or deep can be treated at home pending a few conditions. If the injury occurs on a dirty surface, such as with a dirty kitchen knife or on a rusty piece of metal you should seek medical treatment for follow up care. Similarly, if the wound is large, in a sensitive area, or deep enough to require stitches, you should seek medical care for treatment.
Can Salt Water Promote Healing?
Salt water is commonly used in many therapeutic settings such as at the spa. This is because salt water is said to have positive effects on muscle fatigue, skin health, and may even help heal certain injuries. However, this does not mean that exposing an injury like a cut or a scrape to water at the beach will magically heal you. In most cases, it is not advised to expose injured skin to water at the beach. This is because the water could have contaminants in it which can get inside of your injury and lead to an infection. Therefore, it is not a good idea to run to the beach if you hurt yourself and break the skin.
What to Do If You Get Injured at the Beach
While going to the beach with a fresh injury is not a good idea, what do you do if you injure yourself while you’re at the beach? Injuries can happen on the beach. Between burning your feet on hot sand, hurting yourself setting up your beach gear, and the hazard of broken shells hidden in the sand, injuries at the beach are common.
If you are injured at the beach and you break the skin, stopping any bleeding and keeping the injury clean should be the first priority. Getting debris like sand can lead to improper healing or an infection. You should visit the lifeguard tower or go home and seek medical care if possible to avoid contaminating your injury.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Southcenter for Same-Day Minor Injury Care in Kent, WA
If you suffer an injury, using the ocean to clean it is not a good idea because it carries a high risk of infection. Instead, walk into AFC Urgent Care Southcenter for rapid injury care near Kent, WA. Our clinic is conveniently located in Kent, WA and offers patients who live in Kent, Tukwila, SeaTac, Renton and Southcenter with rapid injury care with short wait times. Our board-certified medical providers are able to offer same-day care for patients of all ages, including children. We accept most medical insurance plans such as Cigna, Aethna, United Healthcare and more. Walk into the clinic today, or contact us directly for more information by calling (425) 291-3300.
