Gloves: when they matter and when they do not
Treating someone else, always. Treating yourself, usually unnecessary if your hands are clean.
Disposable gloves protect in both directions — you from their blood, them from your hands.
Always wear them when
- Treating anyone other than yourself.
- There is any blood or body fluid.
- You have a wound on your own hands.
- You are in any workplace or care setting.
Usually unnecessary when
Dressing your own minor cut with freshly washed hands. Clean hands are the requirement; gloves are one way to achieve it.
Gloves are not a substitute for washing
Wash before putting them on and after taking them off. Gloves develop micro-perforations, and hands get contaminated during removal.
Removing them properly
Pinch the outside of one cuff, peel it off inside out, hold it in the gloved hand, then slide a bare finger inside the second cuff and peel that off over the first. Bin both, wash hands.
Latex
Use nitrile rather than latex. It avoids the allergy question entirely.
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.