Skin Wounds - Causes and Treatment

Skin wounds refer to injuries that affect the skin's integrity and may result from various causes like cuts, burns, or abrasions.
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Skin Injuries | Wound Healing Process | Burn Care | Wound Healing Techniques
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Skin Wounds FAQ


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What is a wound in medical terms?

A wound is a cut or opening in the skin. It can be just a scratch or a cut that is as tiny as a paper cut. A large scrape, abrasion, or cut might happen because of a fall, accident, or trauma. A surgical cut made by a healthcare provider during a medical procedure is also a wound. Your body has a complex system to patch up skin wounds.

How do you classify a wound?

Another way to classify wounds is to determine if the wound is clean or contaminated. Clean wounds have no foreign materials or debris inside, whereas contaminated wounds or infected wounds might have dirt, fragments of the causative agent, bacteria or other foreign materials. Wound origin can be either internal or external.

What is a wound in surgery?

A wound is a break or opening in the skin. Your skin protects your body from germs. When the skin is broken, even during surgery, germs can enter and cause infection. Wounds often occur because of an accident or injury. Types of wounds include: A wound may be smooth or jagged. It may be near the surface of the skin or deeper.

What types of skin wounds are found in the dermis?

Sebaceous glands, hair follicles, nerves and blood vessels are found in the dermis. The two broad categories of skin wounds include abrasions and incised wounds. An abrasion means that the surface layers of the skin (epidermis) has been broken.

What is a wound care fact sheet?

Emergency Care Institute – Patient Fact Sheet This fact sheet is for people who have presented to the emergency department requiring wound care. This fact sheet provides general information. If you have specific concerns, speak to your healthcare professional for further information and advice.

Skin Wounds References

If you want to know more about Skin Wounds, consider exploring links below:

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