[Patient advice].

In wound care, knowing what to do is as important as knowing what not to do. The first step is to evaluate the severity of the lesion and to know whether it is necessary to attend a health center or not. If the wound is simple, the recommended course of action is cleansing with serum or water after washing one's hands, followed by wound disinfection with the most appropriate antiseptic.

[Antiseptic use in primary care].

Wounds can be classified according to their mechanism of action into surgical or traumatic (which may be incision wounds, such as those provoked by a sharp object; contusions, caused by a blunt force; puncture wounds, caused by long, sharp objects; lacerations, caused by tears to the tissue; or bites, which have a high risk of infection and consequently should not be sutured). Wounds can also be classified by their healing process into acute or chronic (pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers, neuropathic ulcers, acute wounds with torpid clinical course). The use of antiseptics in any of these wounds is usually limited to cleaning and initial care -up to 48 hours- and to washing of hands and instruments.

[Introduction to antiseptics].

Antiseptics are anti-infectious agents for local use on the skin or mucosa, which distinguishes them from disinfectants, which are used on inanimate surfaces usually because of their toxicity. The present article explains the differences among the multiple possible antiseptics; special attention is paid to the most common, such as alcohol, chlorhexidine, povidone iodine, and oxygenated water. Finally, we stress the different antiseptic formulations, which increase the usefulness of these agents in specific indications.