I was canoeing and I got cut, now the skin around is raised and itchy, is it inf!

I was canoeing and I got cut, now the skin around is raised and itchy, is it infected?

I was canoeing and I got a very small cut after hitting my thigh on a rock. I didn't put any neosporin on because the pain was so small I didn't even notice it at first. It's been about 15 hours now and there's an area of about 4 square inches near the cut that are puffy and itchy. What should I do? I'm pretty sure it's infected...

It probably is a minor infection. Twice a day clean the cut with plain soap and water, apply a thin coat of antibiotic ointment (Neosporin/Polysporin/etc.) and cover with bandaid. Follow this protocol for 7 days and reassess the cut. Is it healed? Is the skin completely closed? Is the swelling reduced or gone? If so, discontinue the treatment - it's healed. If not, continue for 5 more days. By then it should be healed. If the area worsens or starts to drain or if you develop a fever or other symptoms of infection, see your doctor.