Why do scratches get puffy

The doctor might do this with stitches. If you get stitches, you'll probably need to go back to the doctor in 5 to 10 days to get them out. To remove stitches, a doctor or nurse will snip the thread with scissors and gently pull out the threads. It tickles a bit and feels a little funny, but usually doesn't hurt. Doctors sometimes close small, straight cuts on some parts of the body with medical glue or steri-strips thin pieces of medical tape. Glue and steri-strips will dissolve or fall off on their own.

Getting a cut usually means that there might be a scar on the skin after it heals. If your cut needs to be stitched or glued but you don't see a doctor in time, your scar may be more noticeable. Cuts from a bite need to see the doctor. Germs from an animal or human mouth can get into the cut and you will usually need antibiotics to prevent infection. Your doctor or nurse will also ask questions to make sure the animal didn't have rabies.

Cuts from something dirty or rusty, like a nail could lead to a tetanus infection if your tetanus shots are not up to date. You or your mom or dad can check your medical records to be sure that you had a tetanus shot recently. If you haven't, you will probably need to get one. Sometimes, a cut, scratch, or scrape starts out as no big deal, but then gets infected.

A skin infection happens when germs get into the skin. Caused by a blunt object. They can occur without a cut or scrape. They usually need closure with sutures or skin glue. Any open wound that may need sutures should be seen as soon as possible. Ideally, they should be checked and closed within 6 hours. Reason: to prevent wound infections. There is no cutoff, however, for treating open wounds. A cut laceration goes through it.

A scratch or scrape wide scratch doesn't go through the skin. Cuts that gape open at rest or with movement need stitches to prevent scarring.

Scrapes and scratches never need stitches, no matter how long they are. The signs and symptoms may occur within a few minutes of your skin being rubbed or scratched and usually disappear within 30 minutes. Rarely, dermatographia develops more slowly and lasts several hours to several days. The exact cause of dermatographia isn't clear. It may be caused by an allergic response, yet no specific allergen has been identified. Simple things can trigger symptoms of dermatographia.

For example, rubbing from your clothes or bedsheets may irritate your skin. Sometimes, dermatographia is preceded by an infection, emotional upset or medications, such as penicillin. Dermatographia can occur at any age, but it tends to be more common in teenagers and young adults. If you have other skin conditions, such as dry skin or dermatitis, you may be more susceptible to dermatographia.

Any skin condition that causes a frequent urge to scratch may increase your risk. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

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