Punctured by nails or wood chips, which is more dangerous?

You may have been punctured by nails or wood chips while on the move outside the house without foot and hand protection. If not removed immediately, sticking nails and wood chips can cause infection. Even though they are both dangerous, which has the bigger impact between the two?

What happens when the skin is punctured by nails and wood chips?

Source: Steemit

The skin is the body's first protector from attack by germs such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. When something sticks to the skin, the body will experience various mechanisms to heal the wound and remove the foreign object.

Once the skin is injured, the blood vessels around the wound will narrow. The blood clots then produce fibrin proteins which bind together to block the wound. It can also stop bleeding into the skin pricked by nails or wood chips.

After that, the blood vessels dilate again so that the white blood cells can move towards the wound area to attack the incoming germs. As a result, the area of ​​the wound becomes inflamed, swollen, reddish, and sometimes accompanied by pus.

If nails and wood chips stick around for days, granulomas will form. Granulomas are lumps filled with cells that protect your skin tissue. These cells either hold the object motionless or cause more damage.

Which is the more dangerous of the two?

Punctured by nails and wood chips can both trigger inflammation and infection. However, objects made of metal, glass, or other inorganic materials generally have a milder immune response than wood chips.

Metal objects, especially those that have rusted, are often associated with tetanus. In fact, tetanus is not caused by rust, but a bacterial infection C. tetani. These bacteria can live anywhere as long as there is oxygen and are not only found in rusted metals.

Meanwhile, wood chips are organic material composed of plant cells. Wood chips also carry bacteria and fungi that cause disease. Wood splint puncture wounds are often more painful with more swelling.

Launch page Cleveland Clinicskin, which is punctured by wood chips and plant thorns, also becomes infected more quickly than nails or glass. This is why it is recommended that you immediately remove the wood chips that have stuck to your skin.

What to do if you are punctured by nails or wood? It's best to go to a doctor right away to get it out safely.