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The Scenario
Saturday, a little after noon, and the plastic clamshell on the counter is winning. You go at it with your house key, the key skips, and now there's a clean slice across the pad of your thumb. It's bleeding more than something that small has any right to.
You know where the first-aid kit is. Inside: a few bandages, a couple of alcohol wipes, and a foil packet of antibiotic ointment. You tear the packet, smear it on, wrap it. Done, right?
Who this isn't for: if your kit is built for a job (EMT, trail leader, the coach's bag), you already know your kit better than this issue does. This is for the bandages-and-hope crowd, which includes most of us.
General first-aid information, not medical advice. If you have a condition that affects healing, or a wound that looks infected, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
Here's the part most of us have never read. The American Academy of Dermatology's own steps for a minor cut say it in four words: "Do not apply topical antibiotics."
Their 2022 release explains why. On a wound that isn't infected, those creams "can irritate your skin even more and cause a painful and/or itchy rash, called contact dermatitis." And: "Most minor cuts and wounds and even surgical wounds do not require antibiotics."
What they want instead is almost boring. Soap and water. Pressure. Plain petroleum jelly to keep it moist, because, in the AAD's words, "wounds with scabs take longer to heal." Then a bandage.
The ointment is in a lot of kits anyway. The Red Cross's own $6.95 keychain kit lists it. Band-Aid's kit page says its kits come "stocked with bandages, antibiotic ointments, gauze pads, and more."
None of that is a scandal. It's just not what a clean cut on a Saturday needs. So the real question is what does earn a place in your pocket.
"Two panels: hold firm pressure on a minor cut for one to two minutes, the dermatologists' starting count; if steady pressure hasn't stopped the bleeding after about 10 minutes, call 911. Sources: American Academy of Dermatology and MedlinePlus."
The Loadout
Two links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, Carry Ready earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. The hero pick has no link, because you already own it.
The kit you already have, edited — HERO
Keep the bandages and gauze. The ointment packet can stay, but it isn't step one on a clean cut anymore. Add the two things below and you've covered the base rate: small cuts and blisters. Its limit: this is a kit for a thumb, not for a deep wound. Free.
Petroleum jelly, single-use packets — SUPPORTING
The AAD's swap for the ointment. They suggest a tube over a jar so you're not dipping into it. Single-use packets solve the same problem and lie flat in a wallet. Its limit: 144 is a lifetime supply, so split the box with someone. Any pharmacy tube works too.
→ MED PRIDE petroleum jelly packets on Amazon — ~$14 for 144 (price last checked: 2026-10-10)
Moleskin padding — SUPPORTING
For the other base-rate injury, the blister. The AAD's fix for a blister on a pressure spot is padding cut into a donut around it, then a bandage over the top. Its limit: it's for friction. It does nothing for a cut.
→ Dr. Scholl's Moleskin Padding Roll on Amazon — ~$7 (price last checked: 2026-10-10)
I'm leaving pills out on purpose: pain relievers, allergy tablets, the stuff people tuck in a pill fob. Dosing isn't mine to give you. Flying with them gets covered in the travel issue planned for November.
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One Skill: The Two-Minute Cut
Straight from the AAD's steps and MedlinePlus, no gear beyond the kit above.
Wash your hands, then the cut, with mild soap and cool or lukewarm water.
Press with a clean cloth or gauze for one to two minutes, or until it stops.
Thin layer of petroleum jelly, then a bandage. Change it daily.
Know the exits. Get it seen if it's longer than three-quarters of an inch, more than a quarter inch deep, or won't stop bleeding. If ten minutes of steady pressure hasn't stopped it, call 911.
Blister instead? Leave it closed if you can. Most heal on their own in one to two weeks.
This newsletter is about being prepared. There are two sides to preparation. If you have a first-aid kit, you are already there for part one. You have the tools. The second part is the knowledge of how to use your tools effectively especially in an emergency situation. Use this knowledge if it can help you stay prepared and carry ready.
The Find
American Red Cross First Aid app is free on iPhone and Android. Step-by-step advice for common emergencies, short videos, and a nearest-hospital finder. It's the useful thing to have open when your hands are busy and your head isn't clear. You can also text "GETFIRST" to 90999 for the link.
→ redcross.org — Red Cross mobile apps
One Question For You
Is there antibiotic ointment in your first-aid kit right now? Reply with one word: yes, no, or no kit.
Teaser for next week: "Most of the items in a subway lost-and-found test never made it back. One keychain did, because of what was written on it."
