HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

Should I Take My Son Suffering From Swelling Of Eyelid Caused By An Injury, To The Doctor Immediately

default
Posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Question: My son is 1 yr old. He hit his head near the window edge has a cut in the crease of the eyelid about 1 cm long. There was very little blood, now some minor swelling of the lid. Should I take him to the doctor immediately ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (15 minutes later)
Brief Answer: Visit a doctor Immediately Detailed Answer: Hi. Thanks for posting your concern at HCM Yes, you should immediately take him to the doctor for evaluation. If the cut is long and there is gaping of the wound, your doctor might stitch the wound immediately if not more than 6 hours have elapsed since it was sustained and also prescribe oral antibiotics to prevent it from getting infected. This would ensure good healing and minimal scaring Or if the cut is very small and the edges are closely apposed, then it might not require stitches but still it needs to be addressed for antiseptic dressing. Let me enlighten you a little bit about wound healing: If a person presents to a healthcare center within 6 hours of injury the wound is typically closed immediately after evaluating and cleaning the wound as in your case. This results in a small line of scar tissue and a cosmetically good result. This is called 'primary intention healing' where the wound edges heal directly touching each other. The goal is to minimize the need for granulation tissue by holding wound edges tightly together. Whereas healing by secondary intention(the wound is not stitched in case of secondary intention healing) may be the only possibility if the wound is infected or contaminated or more than 6 hours have elapsed after sustaining Injury. It results in lot more scaring and gives a cosmetically poor result. Hope this helps take care regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Kakkar

Dermatologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 9612 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
Should I Take My Son Suffering From Swelling Of Eyelid Caused By An Injury, To The Doctor Immediately

Brief Answer: Visit a doctor Immediately Detailed Answer: Hi. Thanks for posting your concern at HCM Yes, you should immediately take him to the doctor for evaluation. If the cut is long and there is gaping of the wound, your doctor might stitch the wound immediately if not more than 6 hours have elapsed since it was sustained and also prescribe oral antibiotics to prevent it from getting infected. This would ensure good healing and minimal scaring Or if the cut is very small and the edges are closely apposed, then it might not require stitches but still it needs to be addressed for antiseptic dressing. Let me enlighten you a little bit about wound healing: If a person presents to a healthcare center within 6 hours of injury the wound is typically closed immediately after evaluating and cleaning the wound as in your case. This results in a small line of scar tissue and a cosmetically good result. This is called 'primary intention healing' where the wound edges heal directly touching each other. The goal is to minimize the need for granulation tissue by holding wound edges tightly together. Whereas healing by secondary intention(the wound is not stitched in case of secondary intention healing) may be the only possibility if the wound is infected or contaminated or more than 6 hours have elapsed after sustaining Injury. It results in lot more scaring and gives a cosmetically poor result. Hope this helps take care regards