# What are scabs made of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305 "2015-01-19T19:29:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/1 "2015-01-19T19:29:32Z")
I mean the crusty bits on top of wounds, not strike breakers. I had a bit of minor surgery back in October to have a little lump taken off my leg, and it’s still scabbed over. As I was staring at it today trying not to pick at it (I’ve been very good), I was wondering what the little crusty lump is actually made of. I thought it might be dried blood, but surely that wouldn’t stay on for so long? Related question, are they living tissue, or like fingernails and hair? What stops them falling off? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/2 "2015-01-19T21:34:31Z")
Dried blood. The platelets turn sticky when in contact with air and stick to each other, the wound, and everything else, forming a plug. It stays until the cells grow to fill the wound. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/3 "2015-01-19T22:17:44Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Dried blood. The platelets turn sticky when in contact with air and stick to each other, the wound, and everything else, forming a plug. It stays until the cells grow to fill the wound. Specifically, they stick together by means of a glycoprotein called Fibrinogen, which is formed by polymerisation of Fibrin, which… well, it’s quite an interesting process, but as I had to look it up to remind myself, I might as well just post the link… > **[Fibrin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrin)** > > Fibrin (also called Factor Ia) is a fibrous, non-globular protein involved in the clotting of blood. It is formed by the action of the protease thrombin on fibrinogen, which causes it to polymerize. The polymerized fibrin, together with platelets, forms a hemostatic plug or clot over a wound site. > When the lining of a blood vessel is broken, platelets are attracted, forming a platelet plug. These platelets have thrombin receptors on their surfaces that bind serum thrombin molecules, which in tur... ---
**Author:** ![vomit\_comet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@vomit\_comet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vomit_comet)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/4 "2015-01-20T00:18:00Z")
I thought that’s how corn flakes were made. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/5 "2015-01-20T00:33:25Z")
one might think that it is made up of scabies. not true. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/6 "2015-01-20T00:45:19Z")
Although a thumping good infestation of scabies will result in plenty of scabs… ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/7 "2015-01-20T01:41:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > a glycoprotein called Fibrinogen, which is formed by polymerisation of Fibrin You got that backwards. Fibrinogen is polymerized into Fibrin via Thrombin ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/8 "2015-01-20T02:08:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Dried blood. The platelets turn sticky when in contact with air and stick to each other, the wound, and everything else, forming a plug. It stays until the cells grow to fill the wound. Not always. Sure, actual blood does that, so as to clog a hole in a capillary , artery , vein. For example, a burn may produce a lot of clear fluid at first, but then the bloody fluid comes out… its because the capillaries have been hurt and took a while to degrade. But when the red blood cells don’t get through any more, eg because the capillaries are not blocked off by clots, thats it for the help from platelets, right ? The clear fluid also contains cells that start the process of granulation , which is the scar tissue growing … The new scar tissue may well be killed by drying out or exposure to your antiseptics, but that still works as a scab right ? The clear or white fluid may well have immune system cells in it too. With any scab/ you should try to protect it from being - rubbed off , or picked at. - dissolved, eg in bath or swimming pool - dried out ( because that kills the scar tissue germ cells ! think of them like seeds, each one then grows a granule and then the granules join together to become scar tissue. ) ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/9 "2015-01-20T06:26:32Z")
When they fall off, a little salt and you have a nice late night snack. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/10 "2015-01-20T06:43:13Z")
\*\*What are scabs made of? \*\* Oh, God! Please let the answer be “Jerky”! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/11 "2015-01-21T23:04:23Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > You got that backwards. Fibrinogen is polymerized into Fibrin via Thrombin Okay, now I think you’re just making up parody Tolkien names… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/12 "2015-01-21T23:10:54Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > You got that backwards. Fibrinogen is polymerized into Fibrin via Thrombin Right you are. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/13 "2015-01-22T08:38:06Z")
Scabs are just people like you and me. But they’d rather work than join a picket line. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-scabs-made-of/710305/14 "2015-01-22T22:18:44Z")
Once, when his vision was murky **Gatopescado** tripped over a turkey. He exclaimed “Yea for me, I have bloodied my knee and next week will enjoy catfish jerky!”