戳音頻聽本篇推送的英語全文哦 ☟☟☟
We're reading a book or opening an envelope when, all of a sudden, there's a sharp pain on our finger.
我們正在讀書或拆分信封，突然，指尖傳來一陣刺痛。
You see a little bit of blood and realize you've just gotten a paper cut.
看見溢出的血絲，才意識到剛剛紙片割傷了手指。
Dr Hayley Goldbach, a resident dermatologist at UCLA Health, spoke about why paper cuts are so jagged, how the element of surprise leaves us in more pain and how to make sure they heal quickly.
美國加州大學洛杉磯分校的皮膚科住院醫師海莉·哥德巴赫談論了：為何紙張割破的傷口呈鋸齒狀；出乎意料的心理因素怎樣加劇疼痛；傷口怎樣才能快速癒合。
Dr Goldbach explained that one reason paper cuts hurt so much is where they occur: primarily on the finger.
海莉醫生解釋，紙張割傷會如此疼痛的一個主要原因是傷口在指尖上。
"We have nerve endings all over the body," she said. "In places where there is refined movement and sensation — like the lips or tips of the fingers — they have a high density of nerve endings."
她說：「我們全身都有神經末梢。而在功能複雜精細的運動和感覺部位裡，比如嘴唇和指尖，神經末梢的密度更大。」
These nerve endings are known as nociceptors and they send signals to the brain about things that could cause a break in the skin, such as extreme hot or cold temperatures and chemicals.
這些神經末梢稱為傷害感受器。它們向大腦發送能引起皮膚破裂的信號，如極端的高溫或低溫以及化學物質。
Another reason why paper cuts hurt so much is that you're using your hands throughout the day, meaning that the wound is constantly getting opened.
另一個導致傷口如此疼痛的原因是，我們整天使用雙手，使傷口反覆地裂開。
"You often get paper cuts on the pad or the tip of the finger, different from where you'd get a knife cut," said Dr Goldbach.
海莉醫生說：「紙割破的傷口通常在指腹或指尖，這不同於刀割破的傷口。」
"It's hard not to use your hands, so there's constant pressure on the wound without a chance for it to heal."
「讓雙手休息也並非易事，因此，傷口持續受到壓力，無法癒合。」
The paper itself is another reason why these superficial cuts leave us in so much pain.
紙張本身是皮膚割傷後巨疼的又一大原因。
Paper might look and seem smooth but, if you study it under a microscope, the edge is actually jagged.
透過肉眼觀看，紙張人畜無害，但透過顯微鏡發現，實際上紙張的邊緣呈鋸齒狀。
"Paper is quite sharp, jagged — it's a bit of serrated edge," said Dr Goldbach. "It cuts you pretty quickly before you have the chance to realize it."
海莉醫生說：「紙張十分鋒利，邊緣呈現鋸齒狀。在你尚未意識到之前，手指就已被割破。」
This, in turn, leaves behind a cut that is jagged rather than smooth.
因而，留下的傷口呈鋸齒狀，並不光滑平整。
Additionally, paper is made from wood pulp, cotton and other fibers, which can be left behind in the wound.
除此之外，紙張由木漿、棉花和其它纖維製成，這些纖維可殘留在傷口裡。
"Paper can contain fibers that are inflammatory, which is why it's important to run the cut under water and wash it with a little soap," said Dr Goldbach.
海莉說：「紙張裡含有能引發炎症的纖維。因此，用水衝洗傷口，再用肥皂清洗是十分必要的。」
Additionally, paper cuts are quite shallow, which makes them even more annoying to deal with.
另外，傷口並不深，處理起來卻更棘手。
When the body has a deep cut, blood clots to prevent bleeding and then a scab forms to protect it.
當身體的傷口很深時，血液凝固以止血，然後結痂保護傷口。
But paper creates cuts deep enough to reach the nociceptors but not deep enough to trigger the clotting mechanism, meaning it takes longer for new skin to replace the dead cells.
但紙張割破的深度僅刺激了傷害感受器，並未觸發凝血機制，導致皮膚細胞的新舊交替將會耗時更長。
Dr Goldbach added that there are mental and emotional elements that cause paper cuts to hurt more than other cuts.
海莉醫生補充道，心理和情感因素也讓人感覺，被紙割破的傷口比其它傷口更疼。
"There's the psychological element of surprise, that it happens so quickly that you don't have time to withdraw your hand," she said.
她說：「心理上出乎意料的因素也是原因之一。割傷來得如此之快，我們都來不縮手。」
"With some other injuries, you feel pressure so you have time to react."
「而我們對一些可預見的傷口會感到壓力，從而有反應時間。」
She also added that because we don't expect to hurt ourselves while working with paper, the surprise of cuts leaves us in further pain.
她還認為，因為我們不會想到會被紙劃傷，所以這出乎意料的結果加劇了疼痛感。
"We tend to be careful with a knife — you're being careful on purpose because you know there's a danger," said Dr Goldbach.
海莉醫生說：「我們往往會謹慎用刀，因為刀是危險品。」
While we're careful with knives, we're not so careful with paper.
我們對刀有警惕心理，對紙張卻沒那般小心。
If you do get a paper cut, Dr Golbach recommends washing it with soap and water and putting a band-aid on it.
被紙張割傷時，海莉醫生建議用肥皂和水清洗傷口，然後貼上創可貼。
"You want to make sure it's clean and covered to prevent re-traumatizing it," she said.
她說：「傷口一定要保持乾淨，全部包裹，以防再次受傷。」
Dr Goldbach also suggests to not believe the old wives' tale that claims cuts heal faster if left uncovered because they form scabs.
海莉醫生也不贊成奶奶輩的偏方：敞開結痂的傷口，能加快癒合。
She says wounds that are kept moist under a bandage will be less painful and will replace the damaged skin cells more quickly with new ones.
她說，在創可貼下，傷口可保持溼度，能減少疼痛感，也能加速皮膚新細胞代替受損細胞。
"Wounds like to be moist when they heal, it helps them heal quicker," she said.
她說：「傷口癒合時喜溼，康復更快。」
Dr Goldbach added that paper cuts don't have high rates of infection — in fact, it happens so rarely that there are no available statistics — but warns that there are situations in which you should seek medical attention.
海莉醫生表明，紙張割破的傷口感染機率並不高。事實上，發生概率太低，甚至都無具體數據可尋。但她提醒，在一些情況下，還需尋求醫療護理。
"If it's red, if there's drainage, it looks contaminated or infected, see a doctor immediately," she warned.
她提醒：「如果血流不止，傷口化膿，或有感染的症狀，請立即就醫。」
Source: Daily Mail
Editor: Zhang Xi
Intern: Chen Xianglan
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