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Narrative review: skin tear, laceration or skin avulsion? The current definitions for skin tear, laceration and skin avulsion do not provide a clear and evident differentiation between them in clinical practice, as their descriptions vary from author to author. Most of the literature uses these terms to refer to lacerations, but in practice, they can also mean skin avulsions, skin tears and pretibial lacerations, creating confusion among health professionals. This narrative review aims to provide the authors' views to help reach a precise definition for such terms and avoid further confusion in clinical practice.

Narrative review: skin tear, laceration or skin avulsion? The current definitions for skin tear, laceration and skin avulsion do not provide a clear and evident differentiation between them in clinical practice, as their descriptions vary from author to author. Most of the literature uses these terms to refer to lacerations, but in practice, they can also mean skin avulsions, skin tears and pretibial lacerations, creating confusion among health professionals. This narrative review aims to provide the authors' views to help reach a precise definition for such terms and avoid further confusion in clinical practice.