Lacerations/Cuts

Skin Laceration

Everyone has at some point experienced an open wound, from a minor papercut to a more serious wound requiring stitches.  Surface wounds to the skin and underlying tissues can be generally divided into several categories, including cuts, scrapes and punctures.  These wounds are further subdivided by the cause and qualities of the injury:

-- Incisions have clean, neat edges and are usually caused by sharp objects like knives or glass.  These wounds are easy to stitch back together and often heal with minimal scarring. 

-- Lacerations have irregular edges where the skin is torn rather than sliced open.  Lacerations are sometimes caused by blunt force trauma that causes the skin to split open. 

-- Abrasions, commonly called scrapes, are injuries where the top layer of skin is grazed off. 

-- Avulsions, where a portion of skin or tissue is forcibly torn or sheared off.  This can refer to anything from a chunk of skin being sheared off the finger to an amputation where a limb is pulled from the body. 

-- Puncture wounds, where a foreign body enters the flesh.  If it comes out through the other side, the wound is called a penetration wound. 

In general, cuts will be classified as either incisions or lacerations depending on the appearance of the wound.  Lacerations and incisions are common household injuries and can be caused by many things, including the mishandling of a kitchen knife, stepping on a shard of broken glass, or splitting open your shin after colliding with an end table.  More severe wounds might be caused by auto accidents or incurred as a victim of violence. 

Regardless of the source of the injury, the treatment for a cut is usually fairly straightforward.  If it's relatively small, the injured area will be bandaged to protect it from infection while it heals.  Larger wounds may need to be stitched closed before bandaging.  Depending on the situation, you may be advised to take a tetanus shot, and a round of antibiotics can be used to stave off infection while the wound naturally heals.