Say I suffer a gash on my forearm or thigh. Say it's six inches long and maybe an inch deep. I've stopped the bleeding and irrigated the wound with betadine.

I know I shouldn't try to seal the wound closed -- as with stitches or super glue. But should I try to hold it closed, as with steri-strips or butterfly bandages? Or wrap it with gauze or a bandanna so the wound is held closed?

When I irrigate the wound with clean or sterile water the next day (and all the subsequent days), should I worry about letting the wound open and close as I remove the bandage?

Bear

So a gash like that will impair use of the arm. It should be treated professionally ASAP. It will heal if it doesn't get infected. Irrigation regularly is the key. Keep it wrapped in the cleanest bandanna - ripped skirt from the damsel you are saving <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> etc to prevent stuff from getting in. Every day you should irrigate it with the cleanest water you can find. - If you are boiling water it wouldn't hurt to boil the bandage as well. The major difference in healing between suturing and any of it's equivalents or not is the size of the scar and the potential for infection. The tighter you close that wound the more likely infection. germs love to breed in dead tissue that is kept in the dark at body temperature. Your wound will be lined with dead tissue from the wounding process and closing it tightly around all those dirty germs that got inserted when you slammed your fore arm into that rock - tree - car door will just love that environment. OTOH, if you irrigate the wound you will flush out the colonies of germs before they get too big for your immune system to handle and you will also wash out most of the dead flesh that they would otherwise feed on. If you have some betadine you will further reduce the population of nasties. I think that most of the antiseptics will also damage your exposed tissues - leading to more food for the germs so this procedure is limited in its utility. The trick is to keep the population of nasties below the capacity of your immune system and prevent further injury. When you have assured both of those then your body will grow tissue to fill the hole and you will be complete again in short order.

Around here it´s a standard procedure to keep a contaminated wound open. Sometimes gauze is put into the wound for this purpose. The gauze is changed regularly. Of course the wound should be covered to prevent further contamination.
I agree with minime about professional help and treatment.

got to agree with the others put bluntly keep it clean and keep it covered with clean dressing