Curious Kids: how do scabs form?

[Extract]
Our skin has many different jobs. One is to act as a barrier, protecting us from harmful things in the outside world.

Sometimes when we cut or graze ourselves, we tear away some layers of our skin. When the skin is damaged, it can’t do its job of protecting us quite as well. What’s underneath the skin, called tissue, can be left exposed, and germs and other nasty things may get in.

So when we get a cut or a graze, it’s a race against time for our bodies to stop any bleeding, protect the area, and start the repair process. And this is where scabs come in.