How to know if my cut needs stitches?

[disappointed101]

A cup shattered and cut my hand on the palm several hours ago. The cut is about between an inch and inch and a half long,. I got it to stop bleeding but there is no clot. The wound is still open several hours later. I have sprayed anti septic spray and covered it. Can I get away with changing the plaster/covering twice a day or do I need it looking at? I'd rather not go to a and e if I can avoid it but obviously want it to heal properly.

Will the edges stay closed/right up next to each other? If not, you are going to need it stitched. You might be able to get away with butterfly plasters (also known as steri strips) If you go to the chemist they could probably advise you as they will be able to look at it.
To be honest palms are really difficult to get to heal well as you use them so much, a big scar will also be a huge PITA. I would think very carefully about getting it properly looked at

How deep is it and is it a 'neat' cut? If it's fairly shallow and neat, then steri-strips might do. If it's jagged or deep, you need to be seen. Also, if it's on part of the palm that flexes a lot, rather than being contained within one 'zone', get it seen.

If it's stopped bleeding, and you're not too fussed about scarring, then I wouldn't worry too much.

A few years ago I caught part of my thumb pad in the blades of my secateurs, trying to be clever and cut a thin branch I could not see without wearing gloves. Mainly because so was too lady to get down off my stepladder and adjust it so I could see what I was doing. It was deep enough that the underlying hand fat was oozing out of the cut. Pretty gross and I'm not going to lie, but it made me queasy. Since there were no buses at the weekend and I couldn't drive, I used some pieces of plaster to hold the sides as close together as I could get them then whacked another plaster over the top to stop the rather spectacular bleeding. It was fine. And while I still have a scar three years on, it's barely visible unless you're looking for it. Palms do heal incredibly well. I think it's part of our biology, BECAUSE they're so vital for everything we do, they have an added boost in the healing department