This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine – subscribe now to get the magazine delivered to your door every month. Change the dressing every few days until the wound heals. This will protect the wound and keep it moist, which is better for the healing process, as it helps new skin form.

Cover the cut with a semi-permeable dressing.

Cuts that bleed for more than 15mins after applying pressure, or that have edges that pull apart, will need stitches.

While cleaning the wound, check for deep cuts that need greater medical attention.

It will sting a bit due to nerve ends in the skin being exposed, but soap and water will do. This prevents dirt and grime getting in and causing infection.

After any road rash injury you should clean the wound.

But wearing protective clothing (such as below- knee tri suits, jogging bottoms or long-sleeve tops) helps, as longer trousers or shorts won’t come to your rescue.

View the range of permanent hair removal. Scabs are a protective scaffold over the skin to protect it from infection and to retain nutrients where they are most needed.

It’s impossible to prevent a case of road rash. Scabbing is a natural part of the healing process though it is more frequent on dry rather than oily skin.

If this happens, it’s best to get it checked out medically – a deep cut may need stitches. Most abrasions are not that serious and rarely break more than a couple of layers of skin, though high-speed bike crashes and full-throttle falls while sprinting can lead to deeper cuts. The abrasions are caused by the friction of soft skin hitting a hard surface, which means layers of skin are rubbed off. For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the unpleasant skin abrasions – or grazes, as your mum would call them – usually picked up by crashing your bike or stumbling while running. Ouch! Road rash can put a serious dampner on trainingĮvery triathlete has fallen foul of the dreaded road rash at some point.

Road rash healing process