Paper cuts hurt so much because when the paper cuts open your skin, it leaves behind a chaotic path of destruction rather than a smooth laceration.
The paper cut rips, tears, and shreds your skin, rather than making clean slice, as a razor or knife blade would do.
And if that wasn't enough, paper cuts are typically shallow but not too shallow.
Although the paper cut does not cut further into your skin.
Instead, the blood capillaries are packed into the dermis layer.
Since a microscopic cut does not penetrate the dermis, a paper cut typically doesn't bleed a lot.
How deep can a paper cut get?
Under that layer is the dermis, and it's about five or six millimeters thick.
And a paper cut can go well into the dermis.”
The nerve endings are in the dermis layer, so the cuts get right into those and causes all that pain.
And yet, they don't go deep enough to get to the blood vessels just below.
Most people will see a paper cut heal within two or three days.
However, if your cut doesn't improve in that time especially if you have diabetes or are otherwise immunocompromised talk with your doctor to make sure the cut isn't triggering another problem, such as an infection.
Unlike closed wounds, such as bruises or closed fractures, open wounds are injuries that involve a break in the skin and leave the internal tissue exposed.
The skin has an important role in protecting the organs, tissues, and other structures inside the body, so a breach of the skin can potentially invite infection.
Open wound types include abrasions, excoriation, skin tears, avulsions, lacerations and punctures.
Wounds are injuries that break the skin or other body tissues.
They include cuts, scrapes, scratches, and punctured skin.
They often happen because of an accident, but surgery, sutures, and stitches also cause wounds.