Question

Examination of a skin wound reveals torn, irregular edges and stretched small vessels and nerves in the depths of the wound. This injury is best described as a (an)

a) Abrasion
b) Incised wound
c) Laceration
d) Puncture wound

Answer 1

To bleed from a skin cut, an individual must have cut into the papillary dermis, which contains the blood vessels that would cause bleeding.

Step-by-step explanation:

An individual using a sharp knife notices a small amount of blood where he just cut himself. To answer the question of which layer of skin he had to cut into in order to bleed, we must understand the skin's structure. The outermost layer, the stratum corneum, consists primarily of dead cells and doesn't contain blood vessels. Cutting only this layer wouldn't lead to bleeding. Below the stratum corneum are the stratum granulosum and stratum basale, which are closer to the surface but also aren't rich in blood vessels. The papillary dermis, however, contains the capillary loops that are part of the skin's vascular system. Therefore, if an injury is significant enough to induce bleeding, it is likely that the individual has cut into the papillary dermis, where the small blood vessels are located.