8MOE: S1_E2: Scabs

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Transcript:

Opening

Welcome everyone to another episode of 8 minutes of Eww! The place where we use curiosity and science to turn fear into fascination and those ewww’s into Oooo’s. Oh! By the way, I’m your host Ms. Mallory, the Curious Conservationist and self-proclaimed grosslologist. Let’s get started.

Intro

have you ever scraped your knee and got a scab?  ever wonder what that scab was made of?  or what was actually going on under that crusty layer of grossness?  well, you’ve came to the right place, because  today we’re sliding into the science behind nature’s band-aides. we’ll be investigating how scabs form, what they're made of, and all the microscopic magic going on that you can’t see . 

so, hopefully, by the end of this episode, your ewww will be oooooooo.let’s get started. 

we’ve all done it, right? tripped, slipped, crashed, crushed, stumbled or fallen at least once in our lives. accidents happen and our body is ready to repair.  when the  largest organ in our body— our skin— gets damaged enough to reach the very small blood vessels underneath, the blood vessels get injured and you begin to bleed a little.  now if the top layer of skin doesn’t break then the blood collects under the skin and a bruise is formed.  

let’s take a second to talk about bruises and then we will jump back to scabs: 

have you ever noticed bruises change color over time. that’s because the body is fixing the bruise by breaking down and reabsorbing the blood.  you can actually guess the age of the bruise based on its color.  

• in the beginning, the bruise appears red because of the blood that is appearing just under the skin.

• within first five days the hemoglobin inside the blood changes and the bruise turns to a bluish-purple or even black color

• between the next five to ten days, the bruise usually becomes slightly green or yellow as the hemogloben is further broken down and the body begins to reabsorb the broken down parts.

• then, after 10 or 14 days, the damage has been repaired and the leaked blood is almost fully absorbes, leaving faint yellowish-brown or light brown color. 

pretty interesting right? 

okay. back to scabs. let’s recap. 

so if the top layer of skin doesn’t break, then the blood from the damaged blood vessels become a bruise, but if the top layer of skin is accidentally scraped away, then the blood comes to the surface and begins to slowly ooze out. 

but don’t fear, your body’s healing army is near.

when you get a cut, special blood cells called platelets (say: playt-lits) spring into action. platelets stick together like glue at the cut, forming a sort of plug we call a clot. this clot is like a protective bandage over your cut that keeps more blood and other fluids from leaking out. this clot is also full of other blood cells and thread-like stuff called fibrin (say: fy-brin) that help hold the clot together. 

in addition to the platelets and fibrin, your body also uses dead skin cells. as everything begins to dry, they form a crasty, protective barrier over a wound to keep out bacteria and other nasty invaders. although it looks gross and may feel awkward, when a scab forms, it's usually a sign that your wound is healing.

once the body has stopped the bleeding and created it’s protective force field, it can begin its microscopic magic and begin to heal the wound.  this happens in three steps. 

step 1::battling the bad guys 

step 2: rebuilding the cells 

and step 3: strengthening the barrier.

let’s break down each step because it’s pretty amazing what our bodies can do. 

in the first step of healing, after the scab has been created, your body wants to send as many infection fighters to that area as possible.  there may be dirt and bacteria your body doesn’t want,  so fresh blood brings the perfect mix of wound-healing warriors to the scene. oxygen, nutrients and  white blood cells called macrophages- storm in to fight any infection that may be around.. they also send out chemical messengers called growth factors that help repair the area as they clean up. 

you might see clear fluid in or around the wound. this means white blood cells are at work defending and rebuilding.

even though a lot of good is going on, all this battling and repairing can cause redness, swelling, warm to the touch and sometimes a little pain. during this stage, i sometimes feel like my wound has its own heartbeat because i can feel it pulsating.  but i know it’s just my body sending in the troops.  

once the wound is clean and stable, your body is ready to move onto the next step:  rebuilding. your wound becomes a construction site and your body makes its own building materials. the new cells aren’t very strong by themselves, they need something to hold them together and allow the skin to stretch and move. so your body begins making connective tissue is called collagen. your body loves making this stuff— it’s found in bones, muscles, tendons and . . you got it, skin. 

in the final stage, your scab may finally fall off and unveil a fresh, raised, red scar. now even though your wound looks closed and repaired, it’s still healing. as your body strengthens the new skin, you may feel some tightness or even itchiness in the area. when the wound has completely healed, the scar will have faded in color, flattened and look more like the rest of your skin. this can take a few months or years.  

So there you have it! the gross (and cool) science of scabs. 

Now that you know all about them, you can impress your friends with your knowledge the next time one of these protective force fields form.  remember that it's  very important to tell an adult when you get a wound and how you got it.  some wounds can be treated with soap, water and some ointment; but other wounds may need a little extra help to heal and a doctor or nurse would be the best person for the job. 

Outro

Well, my aspiring grossologists, sadly my 8 minutes are up, but before I go I wanted to ask a favor.  As you have heard me say before, your feedback fuels this program.  If this episode changes the way you look at scabs or maybe  you have a request for another gross,but fascinating topic, please send me a message by clicking the link in the shownotes. 

Thanks again for joining me and set those notifications so you don’t miss the next 8 minutes of Eww. 

 Until next time, this is Ms. Mallory inviting you to Step Outside & Adventure.