Dressing a wound on your own hand, one-handed
A genuinely awkward job. Preparation is what makes it possible.
Dressing your own dominant hand is difficult and commonly done badly, which is why those dressings fall off first.
Prepare everything first
Open the sachet, peel back one side of the backing, and lay everything out before you start. Trying to open packaging with one hand and a wound is how dressings end up contaminated.
Use a surface
Rest the dressing adhesive-side-up on a clean surface, then lower the wound onto it. Gravity does the alignment you cannot manage one-handed.
Use your teeth carefully — or rather, do not
Tearing packaging with your teeth puts mouth bacteria near a wound. Use scissors, prepared in advance.
Fingers specifically
Lengthways over the tip and down both sides holds much better than wrapping around. Anchor between the joints.
Ask if you can
A second pair of hands takes thirty seconds and gets a materially better result. It is not a failure to ask.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
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FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.