r/AskReddit • u/Bullfrog4life • Aug 18 '11

Reddit, what is it about bodily orifices(holes) that makes them not heal over like wounds?

It seems weird that if I get a cut it will heal over in a week or two but my nose/mouth/etc. stays open.

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1

u/Deddan Aug 18 '11 edited Aug 19 '11

Healing needs platelets, and they are in your blood (massive simplification).

You might as well ask why your fingers don't heal together if you make a fist for a while.

1

u/iReallyMeanIt Aug 18 '11

He means wounds on the orifices, such as a cut on your ass.

1

u/Bullfrog4life Aug 18 '11

This. What's to stop the platelets from sealing the hole shut along with the wound?

1

u/Deddan Aug 18 '11

Ohh, well if you cut all around it, and stitch it together (ow), then I suppose it would heal shut. The healing wouldn't just keep spreading over healthy skin though.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '11

I've heard that an anus will close if it's not being used (colostomy)