Traumatic tattoos are a type of injury that drivers can suffer from, though they are especially common in motorcyclists and bicyclists.
What exactly are traumatic tattoos? How do they truly impact a victim?
Road rashes as a result of car crashes
According to the National Library of Medicine, traumatic tattoos may occur after a crash, but they may happen in any situation which allows for debris to become lodged in a person’s body below the surface of their skin.
Road rashes are a common example of traumatic tattoos related to car crashes. This colloquial term refers to the type of injury that happens when skin comes in contact with the ground at a fast speed. Due to the friction and texture of the asphalt, the skin often becomes shredded, and the damage can go several layers deep.
On top of that, debris can also get lodged inside the wound deep below the surface of the skin. It can take medical crews a lot of effort to clean the wounds out properly, but it is extremely important that they do.
High infection risks
This is because of the high risk of infection. Naturally, the debris that lodges inside an injury is not disinfected, which can lead to the introduction of bacteria and other harmful material into the body.
If left within the body, the skin and flesh may grow back over the debris, too. However, this can cause issues in the form of chronic inflammation and pockets of infection below the skin’s surface. It is a potentially serious danger to the victim’s overall health.