A paper cut occurs when a piece of

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

or other thin, sharp material slices a person's

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

, often on the upper part of the

index finger The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the m ...

. Similar injuries caused by things other than paper may also be referred to as "paper cuts". Paper cuts can be highly painful, even though they may bleed little, if at all. Although a loose sheet of paper is usually too soft to cut the skin, it can be very thin (sometimes as thin as a

razor A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors. While the razor has been in existence since be ...

's edge), and can thus exert enough

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...

to cause a cut. Paper cuts are most often caused by paper sheets that are fastened together—such as a sheet of paper out of a ream—because a single sheet might be dislocated from the rest. In this case, all the other sheets hold the dislocated sheet in position, making it stiff enough to act as a razor. Paper cuts can be painful relative to their size, as they can stimulate a large number of skin

pain receptors In physiology, nociception , also nocioception; ) is the sensory nervous system's process of encoding noxious stimuli. It deals with a series of events and processes required for an organism to receive a painful stimulus, convert it to a molecular ...

in a small area of the skin. Because the cut typically does not bleed much, the pain receptors are left exposed to the air, causing continued pain. This can be exacerbated by irritation from fibers from the paper itself left behind in the wound, which may be coated in chemicals such as

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

. Additionally, most paper cuts occur in the fingers and hands, which have a high concentration of

sensory receptors Sensory neurons, also known as afferent neurons, are neurons in the nervous system, that convert a specific type of stimulus, via their receptors, into action potentials or graded receptor potentials. This process is called sensory transducti ...

External links

* * {{Webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060217214438/www.libraryspot.com/know/papercuts.htm , title=Why are paper cuts so painful in relation to their size and appearance?{{snd Do You Know at LibrarySpot Skin conditions resulting from physical factors Paper Injuries of wrist and hand