Cuts

Causes of cuts

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 (Reference lacerations Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window). 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 pointed 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 Reference puncture wounds Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window).
• A combination of blunt and sharp objects that tear, crush, and slice the skin tissue.

Types of cuts

Some types of cuts are more serious and need medical evaluation and treatment. These more serious cuts include:

• Long or Reference deep cuts.
• 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 (Reference 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. Slight swelling, bruising, and tenderness around a cut, bite, scrape, or puncture wound is normal. Swelling or bruising that begins within 30 minutes of the injury often means there is a large amount of bleeding or that damage to deeper tissues is present.
• Cuts over a possible broken bone. Bacteria can get into a cut over a broken bone and infect the bone.
• Cuts caused by a Reference 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 Reference object, such as glass or wood, in the wound.

Injury to the skin may also break small blood vessels under the skin and cause more swelling and bruising than you would expect.

What to do if you get a cut?

When you have a cut:

• Reference Stop the bleeding Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window with direct pressure to the wound.
• Determine if other tissues, such as blood vessels, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, bones, or internal organs, have been injured.
• Determine if treatment by a doctor, such as Reference stitches, staples, or skin adhesives, is needed.
• Clean the wound and remove any dirt or debris to prevent infections, both Reference bacterial skin infections Opens New Window and Reference tetanus Opens New Window ("lockjaw").
• Determine whether you need a Reference tetanus shot.

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.

Reference Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor.

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