California motorcyclists are likely familiar with the term road rash. It is one of the most common injuries you can get by falling off of your motorcycle. While many people associate the term with surface scrapes, can you treat road rash at home?

The answer is yes and no. Road rash falls into three categories: mild, moderate and severe. Mild cases of road rash are treatable at home. If you have any concerns about infection or shrapnel, see a medical professional. But most cases of mild road rash are severe scrapes. They can be deep, but proper at-home first aid treatment is often enough to properly care for it. Be sure you follow proper hygiene. If you keep the wound clean during healing, many cases clear up within weeks.

For moderate or severe road rash, you should always see a doctor. These cases involve traumatic injury to soft tissue. For severe road rash, it is even possible for you to flay your flesh all the way down to the bone. You may face the removal of upwards of 15 percent of your skin. This opens you up to infection that takes hold and spreads fast. You can also get pieces of road or debris lodged deep into the wound. These injuries may even need skin grafts. You can suffer from permanent scarring and nerve damage even with professional treatment.

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