• Question: how do scabs work

    Asked by cheese2000 to Kate, Mark U, Tess, Yue on 1 May 2012. This question was also asked by reds14fanatic.
    • Photo: Tess Newman

      Tess Newman answered on 1 May 2012:

      Scabs – don’t pick them off!

      When you cut yourself, your blood starts to ‘clot’ around the wound, so you stop bleeding. The body then has a very complicated system of events that help to heal the wound. The scab is made up of fibrous tissue that seals of the wound from the outside world. This allows the body to start the healing process – removing any external bacteria, rebuilding the blood vessels and creating the new skin. The scab then drops off when it is no longer needs, the the wound is now healed enough to survive without the protective barrier of the scab.
      However, your wound is still healing. You may notice that scars become less red and noticeable over time – this is because they are still in the healing process, although they will never quite be as good as the original skin

    • Photo: Kate Davies

      Kate Davies answered on 1 May 2012:

      Scrabs are a protective mechanism created by the body to protect us when we cut or graze ourselves. A scab is the product of platelets in the blood which clog and create the the fibrous clot (scab) which will remain there until the wound has healed itself, it is important that we allow scabs to remain until the body gets rid of them…so don’t pick them ;0)

Comments