This past weekend, I made a little jump onto a parking lot that caused a dizzying few seconds of un-balance, resulting in a large scrape (as in first layer of skin GONE) on my hand. In the course of the past few days, a clear-ish crust like a callous has developed over the wound, as I knew it would.
But seeing it after so long a time of not having wounds like this made me wonder: what is this crust called? It’s not a scab - it’s not made of blood. And for that matter, what IS the goop that developed over it and hardened into this crust?
When a leper asks about a skin problem, I perk right up…oh…it’s Leaper. Sorry.
I think the clear goop you are referring to is probably interstitial fluid and plasma (blood minus the red and white cells. Actually, there are probably lots of white cells in there, but if it’s not dark there aren’t many red cells.) Some wounds weep this serous fluid for awhile. I think most of the color of a scab is from the red cells in blood, but what do I know? I musta been sleeping during the scab lecture b/c I don’t remember being taught anything about it.
I think of any crust over a wound as a scab, whether it’s dark or whether it’s the kind you have.