How long should a cut take to heal?
Rough timelines for common wounds, and the factors that legitimately slow them down.
Timelines vary widely between people, so treat these as orientation rather than promises.
Typical ranges
- Shallow cut or paper cut — a few days to close, a week or two to be fully comfortable.
- Graze — usually a week to ten days for the surface, longer for colour to settle.
- Deeper cut held with strips — around ten to fourteen days before the strips are no longer needed.
- Minor burn — one to three weeks depending on depth.
What genuinely slows healing
- Age — skin repair slows measurably with the decades.
- Diabetes and poor circulation.
- Smoking, which reduces blood flow to the skin.
- Poor nutrition, particularly low protein.
- Repeated disturbance — picking, over-changing dressings, movement across a joint.
- Infection.
The two-week rule
If a minor wound has not clearly improved in two weeks, get it looked at rather than waiting longer.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
Shop the range
FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.