Laceration (Cut or Tear in the Skin)

First aid for a laceration

1. Stop the bleeding. Press firmly on the cut with a clean cloth or gauze for a full 10 minutes without lifting to check. Raise the injured part above heart level if you can.
2. Wash your hands, then rinse the wound under clean running tap water for several minutes. Remove dirt with clean tweezers. Avoid hydrogen peroxide or iodine directly in the wound, which can damage tissue.
3. Wash around the cut with soap and water.
4. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly or an antibiotic ointment to keep it moist.
5. Cover with a sterile non-stick dressing. Small, straight cuts can be held closed with adhesive strips.
6. Take pain relief if needed: acetaminophen (paracetamol) or ibuprofen, following the label dose.
7. Check your tetanus status.

Do not use a tourniquet unless bleeding from a limb is life-threatening and direct pressure has failed.

Does my cut need stitches?

Closing a wound early lowers infection risk and gives a better scar. Most cuts should be closed within 6 to 8 hours. Clean cuts on the face and scalp can often be closed up to about 24 hours. Older or heavily contaminated wounds, and many bites, may be cleaned and left open to heal or closed a few days later.

How lacerations are closed

• Stitches (sutures): the most common method, especially for deep, irregular or high-tension wounds. Deep layers may get dissolvable stitches.
• Staples: fast and strong, used mainly on the scalp.
• Skin glue (tissue adhesive): for small, clean, straight cuts under low tension, often in children. No removal needed.
• Adhesive strips: for small, superficial cuts.

The doctor numbs the area, irrigates the wound thoroughly, checks for foreign bodies (sometimes with an X-ray for glass), and tests tendon, nerve and blood vessel function before closing.

Special sites

Finger and hand lacerations

The hand has tendons, nerves and arteries just under the skin. After a finger cut, check that you can fully bend and straighten each joint and feel light touch on both sides of the fingertip. Numbness suggests a digital nerve injury. Weakness or a finger that rests in an unusual position suggests a tendon laceration. Both need specialist repair, often within days.

Facial cuts, including the bridge of the nose

Facial cuts bleed heavily but heal well because of a rich blood supply. They are usually closed with fine stitches or glue and the stitches removed early to limit marks. A cut to the bridge of the nose after a blow may come with a broken nose: watch for crooked shape, nasal blockage, or a swelling inside the nose (septal hematoma) that needs urgent drainage. See facial laceration for more.

Lip, eyelid and ear

Cuts across the lip border, eyelid margin or ear cartilage need careful alignment to avoid visible notches, and are often repaired by a specialist.

Tetanus

Tetanus bacteria live in soil and can enter any break in the skin. You need a booster if:

• The wound is clean and minor, and your last dose was more than 10 years ago.
• The wound is dirty, a puncture, a bite or a crush, and your last dose was more than 5 years ago.

If you never completed the primary vaccine series, you may also need tetanus immune globulin. See tetanus.

Caring for a laceration as it heals

• Keep the dressing clean and dry for the first 24 to 48 hours, then gentle washing is usually fine. Pat dry.
• Do not soak the wound in baths, pools or hot tubs until it has closed.
• Do not pick at scabs or skin glue.
• Once closed, protect the scar from sun for at least a year with clothing or sunscreen, as UV light darkens scars.
• Silicone gel or sheets can improve raised scars.

Signs of infection

Watch for:

• Increasing pain, redness, warmth or swelling after the first 2 days.
• Red streaks spreading from the wound.
• Pus or cloudy, smelly discharge.
• Fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher.

These suggest a wound infection or spreading cellulitis and need medical review. People with diabetes, poor circulation or weak immunity are at higher risk.

Frequently asked questions

What is a laceration?

A laceration is a wound where the skin is cut or torn open. It can be caused by a sharp object such as a knife or glass, or by blunt force that splits the skin, such as a fall onto a hard edge. Lacerations range from shallow cuts to deep wounds that damage tendons, nerves or blood vessels.

How long can you wait to get stitches?

Ideally, get stitches within 6 to 8 hours. Clean cuts on the face and scalp can often be closed up to about 24 hours. After that, the risk of infection rises, and the doctor may choose to clean the wound and let it heal open or close it a few days later.

How long does a laceration take to heal?

Skin edges usually seal within a few days, and most lacerations are strong enough for stitches to be removed after 5 to 14 days, depending on location. The wound continues to strengthen for weeks, and the scar fades and flattens over 12 to 18 months.

What should I do for a finger laceration?

Press firmly for 10 minutes, rinse under running water, and cover with a clean dressing. Then check that you can bend and straighten every joint and feel touch on both sides of the fingertip. Get it seen if it gapes, keeps bleeding, or you notice numbness or weakness.

When is a laceration an emergency?

Call for emergency help if bleeding spurts or will not stop with 10 minutes of firm pressure, the cut is deep in the neck, chest or abdomen, an object is stuck in it, or the person shows signs of shock such as pale clammy skin, a racing heart or fainting.