Why Do Papercuts Hurt So Much?

Paper cuts are nothing special or new, yet they are an everyday inconvenience. Every time our skin is broken, even as little as a paper cut, our body wages a microscopic war to fight against the world of pathogenic predators by launching an immune response to protect the body and accelerate the wound healing process.

Paper cuts usually don’t bleed much but are quite painful. What makes that little cut so painful? Unfortunately, there is not a lot of scientific research to understand the pain that comes with paper cuts as study recruitment is probably pretty difficult (who would sign up to endure through the torture of paper cuts?!). While studies are lacking, the vast understanding of human anatomy and physiology can help us answer this question in a reasonable way.

Why do papercuts hurt so much?

Our fingers are used to explore the environment around us. They’re used to perceive things like how hot or cold?, how dull or sharp? So, the skin in the fingertips needs to be very sensitive. And, it is thanks to all the nerve endings. In fact, your fingertips house many more pain receptors than almost anywhere else in your body! The fingers themselves contain among the highest densities of nociceptors – the nerve fibers that signal surface-level pain.

Can the paper be blamed for it? Yes, to a certain extent. To our naked eye, the paper’s edge might seem smooth but in reality, paper is more similar to a saw than a blade. So, instead of leaving a clean slice, it rips, tears, and shreds your skin (no wonder it hurts!). In addition, paper cuts are deep enough to get past the top layer of the skin. They wouldn’t hurt as badly if that was not the case since the top layer of the skin (Stratum Corneum) has no nerve endings.

Another question that comes to mind is why don’t paper cuts bleed much? A deeper cut into the dermis would result in bleeding but paper cuts usually don’t slice that deep into your skin. Nonetheless, it is important to cover the shallow paper cut wound as it usually doesn’t offer the protection like that of a deeper cut where a blood clot forms. The blood clot protects the underlying skin from being exposed to the external environment and aids in the healing process.

So, what to do when you get a paper cut next time?

Here are some tips on how to handle your paper cut situation the next time it happens. Thankfully, paper cuts usually heal in 1-2 days and they can be treated as easy as it was to get them!

• Rinse the paper cut with soap and water and wrap a bandage around the cut. Exposure to air can cause the injured nerves to be sensitized and covering the cut will cause the pain to cease.
  
  
• Once wrapped, avoid getting your fingers wet as getting water into the cut will sensitize those nerve endings one more time.
  
  
• With the pandemic still ongoing, don’t sacrifice on sanitizing your hands. You may be able to sanitize the surface of the bandage with an alcohol-based sanitizer without getting it fully wet.
  

Unfortunately, we will have to endure some paper cuts throughout our life but now you know a thing or two more about them.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like “Super Glue in First Aid Kit: A Good Idea?”. Check it out!

References:

1. Kelly EJ, Terenghi G, Hazari A, Wiberg M. Nerve fibre and sensory end organ density in the epidermis and papillary dermis of the human hand. Br J Plast Surg. 2005 Sep;58(6):774-9. [Pubmed]
2. Gordon Irving. The role of the skin in peripheral neuropathic pain. Eur J Pain Supp. 2010. 4(2):157-160. [Sciencedirect]
3. Image Credit – WiseGeek and Tamisclao (shutterstock).

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