Fragile skin

Skin tears are wounds that occur when fragile skin experiences trauma such as blunt force, friction, and shear. They involve the full or partial separation of the skin’s layers and sometimes have a remaining skin flap that covers the wound. This skin flap should be preserved, if possible. 

There is limited data on the prevalence of skin tears. However, a recent study found that 20.8% of people over the age of 65 suffered from skin tears.

There is also some evidence to suggest that they are more common than pressure ulcers. 

According to the ISTAP classification, there are three main types of skin tears. Although skin tears generally look like regular lesions or big scrapes, they can sometimes be distinguished by a skin flap that either covers the wound or is rolled up towards one side.

Skin tears can happen anywhere on the body. However, they are most common on the arms, hands, and lower extremities, where the skin is thinner and more fragile than other parts of the body.

There are various intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors that you should be mindful of when you have identified an at-risk person. It is important to conduct a risk assessment that takes into consideration a person’s medical history and any environmental dangers that may lead to skin tears. Once these factors have been identified and assessed, it is critical to implement a range of prevention strategies that are tailored to the individual.

Skin tears typically occur in skin that is fragile due to age, meaning that it is especially vulnerable to trauma that would not normally lead to injuries in healthier or younger skin. This means that the removal of strong adhesives can cause further trauma to the skin or existing wounds.

A sterile swab dampened with either lukewarm water or saline solution can be used to gently clean a skin tear.