Topic Overview
Cuts are open wounds through the skin. Normally the skin is under
slight, constant tension as it covers the body. A cut is a forceful injury to
the skin. Many people accidentally cut themselves with household or work items,
yard tools, or when operating machinery. Children often are cut during play and
sports activities, or from falls while riding wheeled toys, such as bikes,
scooters, or skateboards. Most cuts are minor and home treatment is usually all
that is needed.
Cuts can be caused by:
- Blunt objects that tear or crush the skin (). These cuts are more common over bony
areas, such as a finger, hand, knee, or foot, but they can occur anywhere on
the body. Blunt object injuries usually cause more swelling and tissue damage
and leave jagged edges, so problems with healing may
occur.
- Sharp-edged objects pressing into and slicing the skin
tissue (incised wounds). Sharp object injuries are more likely to cut deeper
and damage underlying tissue.
- Sharp-edged objects piercing the skin
tissue (stab or
).
- A combination of blunt and sharp forces from
objects that tear, crush, and slice the skin tissue.
Some types of cuts are more serious and need medical
evaluation and treatment. These more serious cuts include:
- Long or .
- Cuts that open
with movement of the body area, such as a cut over a joint. A cut over a joint
may take a long time to heal because of the movement of the wound
edges.
- Cuts that may scar and affect the appearance or function of
a body area. A cut on an eyelid or lip which doesn't heal well may interfere
with function or leave a noticeable scar.
- Cuts that remove all of
the layers of the skin (avulsion injuries), such as slicing off
the tip of a finger. An avulsion injury may take a long time to
heal.
- Cuts from an animal or human bite. Infection is more likely
with a bite injury.
- Cuts that have damage to underlying tissues.
Injuries to nerves, tendons, or joints are more common with cuts on the hands
or feet.
- Cuts over a possible broken bone. Bacteria can get into a
cut over a broken bone and infect the bone.
- Cuts caused by a
crushing injury. With this type of injury, the cut may have occurred when the
skin split open from the force of the injury. The force of the injury may also
damage underlying tissues and blood vessels. Crush injuries have a high risk of
infection.
- Cuts with a known or suspected object, such as glass or
wood, in the wound.
Cuts to the head or face may appear worse than they are and
bleed a lot because of the good blood supply to this area. Controlling the
bleeding will allow you to determine the seriousness of the injury. For more
information, see
Are Stitches, Staples, or Skin Adhesives Necessary?
When you
have a cut:
- Stop the bleeding with direct pressure to the wound. For more information see
.
- Determine whether other tissues, such as
blood vessels, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, bones, or internal organs,
have been injured.
- Determine whether evaluation and treatment by a
doctor is needed.
- Clean the wound and remove any dirt or debris to
prevent infections, both
and
("lockjaw").
- Determine whether you
need a
tetanus shot.
Check your symptoms to decide if and when you
should see a doctor.