Degloving injury resulting in loss of an extensive area of skin

Degloving happens when a section or area of skin, with or without the underlying soft tissue, becomes wholly or partially detached from the body, a bit like a glove being pulled from a hand.

A degloving injury is a serious motorcycle injury and needs to be treated as soon as possible. By the way, if you’re squeamish, you might want to click away now.

How does a degloving injury happen?

Degloving usually happens when a body part becomes caught on or trapped under your motorcycle or another heavy or hard object and is forcefully pulled away. As a result, the skin and underlying soft tissue may detach from the body.

There are two types of degloving injuries. Open degloving occurs when skin or the tissue under the skin is ripped off, revealing a gruesome skinless body part. Closed degloving is where the top skin layer remains intact despite being separated from the underlying tissue.

How do you treat a degloving injury?

Degloving injuries require immediate medical attention along with the administration of IV fluids and antibiotics, to prevent infection. Treatment options include the removal of dead or infected skin tissue, reattachment of the degloved skin; placement of skin grafts or skin flap; or in extreme cases, amputation.

We did warn you it wasn’t pleasant! To help reduce the severity of suffering this kind of injury, make sure to wear protective clothing and equipment, such as leather gloves and boots, when riding a motorcycle.