## Distinguishing Abrasion from Laceration ### Depth and Tissue Involvement **Key Point:** Abrasions are superficial injuries confined to the epidermis and upper dermis, while lacerations extend through the full thickness of skin into subcutaneous tissue and beyond. ### Wound Edge Characteristics | Feature | Abrasion | Laceration | |---------|----------|----------| | **Depth** | Epidermis + superficial dermis | Full thickness skin + deeper tissues | | **Edge appearance** | Irregular, scraped, no sharp demarcation | Irregular or clean (if caused by sharp object) | | **Tissue loss** | Minimal; surface layer removed | Variable; depends on mechanism | | **Basement membrane** | Intact | Breached | | **Bleeding** | Minimal to moderate (capillary ooze) | Moderate to profuse | | **Mechanism** | Friction/rubbing against rough surface | Blunt or sharp force | ### Clinical Pearl Abrasions are sometimes called "grazes" and are commonly seen in road traffic accidents (RTA) where skin is dragged across asphalt. The retained dirt particles and embedded foreign material are a hallmark finding. **High-Yield:** The key distinction is that abrasions spare the basement membrane (hence no scarring in simple cases), whereas lacerations breach it and typically heal with scarring. ### Mnemonic **ABRASION = A-Bra-sion** → **A**brasive surface, **B**asement membrane **I**ntact, superficial **S**kin only.
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