Best topical numbing agent?

[innominate]

If it's deep enough to need stitches you'll need injectable lido imo. Like @toddnjoyce said, you should practice stitching before you need to do it.

Depending on the depth and location you could get away with pressure till the bleeding stops then steri-strips or another decent dressing instead of stitches.

 

[billtool]

I had a big ass needle cortisone injection in my knee just the other day. The PA sprayed some stuff on there, waited 30 seconds and gave me that big ass needle jab. Felt the pressure of the juice, but zero pain with the jab. I want that stuff. I’m going to call her and I’ll advise the team.

 

[innominate]

I had a big ass needle cortisone injection in my knee just the other day. The PA sprayed some stuff on there, waited 30 seconds and gave me that big ass needle jab. Felt the pressure of the juice, but zero pain with the jab. I want that stuff. I’m going to call her and I’ll advise the team.

I wonder what it was. Unbroken skin is generally good at it's job. Meaning it takes time to absorb a substance. Needles are sharp and imo don't cause much pain. The discomfort, imo, is from the separation of tissue by the injectant.

I had a questionable blemish removed from my arm. The MD didn't use a topical cream/ spray. She injected lido.

 

[V-Tach]

Call your nurse friend................

All the nurses I know are well stocked..........

 

[mogobodo]

Truly…Quikclot Guaze or ClozEx makes an emergency laceration kit. Either is likely better than trying to stitch if you haven’t done it before.

I'd be very reluctant to use quickclot. In a combat situation it is useful, as the thing that saves you is the bleeding while they get you to the hospital during the golden hour, but we are usually taught to use it as a last resort, as in if dressings, direct pressure, tourniquettes and and arterial clamps don't work. Once they get you to the hospital, they have to debride the entire wound and take out all of that activated quick clot. This will make wound approximation much tougher, and maybe cause more scaring and damage. Situation would probably dictate. If you're gonna die of bleed out, forget the scar. But if you can tourniquet yourself and hitch a ride to hospital i'd go that route with the wound the OP describes.

 

[toddnjoyce]

I'd be very reluctant to use quickclot. In a combat situation it is useful, as the thing that saves you is the bleeding while they get you to the hospital during the golden hour, but we are usually taught to use it as a last resort, as in if dressings, direct pressure, tourniquettes and and arterial clamps don't work. Once they get you to the hospital, they have to debride the entire wound and take out all of that activated quick clot. This will make wound approximation much tougher, and maybe cause more scaring and damage. Situation would probably dictate. If you're gonna die of bleed out, forget the scar. But if you can tourniquet yourself and hitch a ride to hospital i'd go that route with the wound the OP describes.

I’m reluctant to use the powder version for a lot of reasons, but much less so the gauze. Is it appropriate for something that needs four stitches? No, hence the laceration kits as recommendation. Both have their places, as do tourniquets.

When a situation presents such that an untrained person is considering stitching up a wound without antiseptic or pain management, I think about the medic worried about getting an IV running before stopping the bleed…that’s probably not the right thing to be doing right now AND we’ve decided waiting for trained folks isn’t a priority either, so tape it/glue it/direct pressure/hemostatic gauze/bandage it and go from there.

But each situation in different.

 

[deemus]

Superglue works in a pinch, too. As long as the cut isn't too deep.

Just coming to post this.

My son was one of the first recipients of the "dermabond" skin glue back in the late 90's (could have been very early 2000's). He gashed his forehead, and the doctor came to me and told me if I would allow him to teach all the other doctors how to do the process our visit would be free.

Of course I agreed.

But regular super glue will also work as long as the skin is dry.

 

[bbbass]

A hammer to the bean should work well...

 

[deemus]

A hammer to the bean should work well...

**user location checks out**

 

[madwildcat]

I had a big ass needle cortisone injection in my knee just the other day. The PA sprayed some stuff on there, waited 30 seconds and gave me that big ass needle jab. Felt the pressure of the juice, but zero pain with the jab. I want that stuff. I’m going to call her and I’ll advise the team.

Likely Ethyl Chloride Spray. This is not something you would want to spray in an open wound. It can mess up wound healing (freezing effect and toxic internally). Its used for surface numbing for injections. Also highly flammable and pressurized usually. Not cheap either in the nice version used at most doctor's offices.

As suggested by others, if you think you are ever going to actually do this, make sure you have practiced the sutures. I have watched suturing at the hospital fall apart because someone "thought" they knew what they were doing. And working on someone with no lido is another experience all its own...

 

[wakosama]

I recall something about this in "Where There is no Doctor"... of course I can't find my copy to reference right now. but...

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://www.frankshospitalworkshop.com/organisation/biomed_documents/Where%20there%20is%20no%20Doctor%20-%20David%20Werner.pdf

Where There Is No Doctor Book- Free PDF Download

There are many books covering medical care for preppers and survivalists. The best book on this subject, however, is Where There Is No Doctor.

www.shtfblog.com

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.jumpjet.info/Emergency-Preparedness/Neighborly-Response/Personal/Nursing/Where_There_Is_No_Doctor.pdf

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

I once had 6 stitches put in my face when I was five...I recall it vividly as the asshole doctor didn't numb the area.

Because it hurt so exquisitely, I thrashed and thrashed as he tortured me with the stitching needle, so of course the stitches went in all messed up and to this day I have an ugly scar on my face...and not the only one, the most recent was when I passed out in the hall bathroom and crashed my forehead into the edge of the tub. Now, I sport a really nasty scar about an inch and a half long, but I decided not to get it stitched...fk that.

 

[deemus]

Sorry you got triggered the second time. It likely would have gone much better.

 

[baboon]

I once had 6 stitches put in my face when I was five...I recall it vividly as the asshole doctor didn't numb the area.

Because it hurt so exquisitely, I thrashed and thrashed as he tortured me with the stitching needle, so of course the stitches went in all messed up and to this day I have an ugly scar on my face...and not the only one, the most recent was when I passed out in the hall bathroom and crashed my forehead into the edge of the tub. Now, I sport a really nasty scar about an inch and a half long, but I decided not to get it stitched...fk that.

Chicks dig scars Yours Tony Montana

 

[TX OMFS]

Super glue is meant to go on top of the wound. So, hold it closed, put a layer of glue on top, let it dry, and repeat. We generally use at least 2 layers.

Super glue is meant for skin only. If you can see fat, superglue won't work.

Dermabond is the brand name of medical superglue. I'm sure you can find videos on the manufacturer recommended way to use Dermabond.

 

[TX OMFS]

Buy a skin stapler. Suturing one self it much harder than it is in movies & shit.

I keep a couple of staplers at home just for this. Staples will hold a pretty deep wound closed.

Deep wounds are still best closed in layers, not just with skin level staples, sutures, or glue.

 

[TX OMFS]

Ethyl chloride is the skin spray used before an injection. It doesn't last long enough for suturing, shouldn't be sprayed into a wound, and is expensive.

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[Rhino]

Maybe a bit off topic, but Clove oil can do some interesting things, especially for numbing a mouth pain. Also, Rosemary oil seems to help wounds heal faster.