Wound facts for kids

A wound is a type of physical injury where your skin gets torn, cut, or punctured. This is called an open wound. Sometimes, a strong hit can cause a bruise under the skin, which is called a closed wound. In simple terms, a wound means your skin has been damaged. A mortal wound is a very serious injury that directly leads to someone's death.

How Wounds Heal

When you get a wound, your body has an amazing way of fixing itself! This process is called wound healing. It involves several steps to repair the damaged skin and tissues.

First, your body tries to stop any bleeding. Then, it cleans the wound by removing any dirt or damaged cells. After that, new skin cells and other tissues start to grow, slowly closing the wound. Finally, the new tissue gets stronger, and the wound heals, often leaving a scar.

Types of Wounds

Wounds can happen in many ways and come in different types. Here are some common ones:

Cuts and Lacerations

A cut (also called an incision) is a clean slice through the skin, often made by a sharp object like a knife or glass. A laceration is a more jagged or torn wound, usually caused by something blunt or irregular.

Abrasions

An abrasion is when the top layer of your skin is scraped off, like when you fall and scrape your knee on the pavement. These are often called "scrapes" or "grazes."

Puncture Wounds

A puncture wound happens when a sharp, pointy object, like a nail or a thorn, goes deep into the skin. These wounds might look small on the outside but can be deep and carry germs inside.

Bruises

A bruise (or contusion) is a type of closed wound. It happens when small blood vessels under your skin break, causing blood to leak out and get trapped. This makes your skin look discolored, often blue, purple, or black.

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  A wound that has been sewn with four stitches to help it heal.

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  A laceration (jagged tear) on a leg.

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  An abrasion, also known as a scrape.

Related Pages

• Injury

Images for kids

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  The patient has a deep wound at the knee. Doctors use an X-ray machine to check for any hidden bone fractures.

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  A wound that has been sewn with four stitches.

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  A picture showing how a wound might have been treated in medieval times.

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  An infected puncture wound on the bottom of a foot.

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  A small cut (incision) on a finger.

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  A fresh cut on the fingertip of the left ring finger.

See also

In Spanish: Herida para niños