California motorcyclists get into crashes often. Some of these crashes result in catastrophic injuries. Today we will take a look at the injury known as road rash. Despite its reputation, it has the potential to cause massive damage.
VeryWell Health takes a look at symptoms of road rash. We will not be examining mild road rash today. This is the type most people think of when the term “road rash” comes to mind. It is the simple abrasion of the surface layer of skin. Bleeding may occur. Infection can follow if you do not disinfect the wound well. But on a whole, it is not dangerous.
The same is not true for moderate to severe road rash. In all cases of road rash, it involves abrasion of the flesh. But moderate or severe cases involve the abrasion of many layers of flesh. Abrasions often go below the fatty subcutaneous layer. They even extend to muscles or go all the way down to bone in very severe cases.
These instances also involve large portions of skin. Victims often end up with over 15 percent of their body covered in abrasions. In some instances, victims need skin grafting surgery. This helps fight infection and reduces the chance of scarring. It is still a painful healing process. Disfigurement and scarring still occur even after surgery as well. Many victims are not able to return to the physical state they were in before the crash.
It is important to understand how dangerous road rash is. All victims should get immediate treatment. This helps prevent scarring and then some.
