Laceration

Skin | General Practice | Laceration (Symptom)


Description

Laceration refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin. Although it can be obscured by blood, a cut is one of the easiest medical conditions to diagnose. A deep cut may reveal underlying tissues such as fat, tendon, muscle, or bone.

Some people faint at the sight of their own blood (this is a neurological reaction in which a reflex slowing of the heart causes a low blood pressure called vasovagal syncope). Physicians need to distinguish this common faint from people who pass out from loss of blood (hemorrhagic shock).

Diagnosis and Treatment

A doctor will decide whether a person needs a tetanus booster. One should have had a tetanus booster immunization within the last 10 years if there is a simple, clean cut, or within the last five years if he or she deals with a more complex or dirty cut.

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