What is a scrape injury?

What is a scrape injury? A scrape injury is a shallow wound caused by skin rubbing or sliding against a rough surface, medically called an abrasion. It involves loss of epidermis, the outer layer of skin, and sometimes superficial dermis. Common causes include falls on pavement, carpet burns, sliding on turf, or brushing against rough walls. Because many superficial nerve endings are exposed but deeper vessels are not cut, scrape injuries often sting or burn intensely but bleed only lightly with oozing. Medically they are classified as first-degree abrasion involving only epidermis, second-degree involving superficial dermis, and third-degree involving deeper layers called avulsion. Most minor scrapes heal within 5 to 14 days as new skin cells migrate from wound edges and hair follicles. Proper first aid includes washing hands, rinsing wound under clean running water, gently removing visible dirt with clean tweezers, not scrubbing harshly, applying plain petroleum jelly to keep moist, covering with nonstick bandage, and changing daily. Seek care for large, deeply embedded debris, heavy bleeding, signs of infection, or if tetanus vaccination not current.