• Question: why do you bleed more in a small cut that in a deep cut?

    Asked by perkins to Aime, Akshat, Diana, Gemma, Judith on 19 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      Well I’ve never really had a deep cut so I can’t say that it would bleed less than a small one, but I do know that the upper layers of the skin have more small blood vessels than lower levels. So when you get a small cut that only affects the upper layers, these blood vessels break so you bleed a fair bit. But maybe if you get a deeper cut not as many blood vessels will be broken… unless you hit a vein or an artery when you would bleed much more.

      Interesting question anyway 🙂 thanks

    • Photo: Judith McCann

      Judith McCann answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      The amount you bleed depends on the kind of blood vessels you break through and how quickly your body responds. There are platelet cells in your blood vessels which clot at the point of injury to try and prevent blood loss-so maybe there is more of these deeper down to prevent serious blood loss.I don’t know how deep a cut you mean but generally near the surface there are tons of really small vessels called capillaries and deeper down the vessels get bigger eg arteries and veins.

      Believe me,if you ever cut an artery-you’ll know about it!

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