Paper cut

A paper cut occurs when a piece of paper or other thin, sharp material slices a person's skin, most often on the upper part of the index finger.

Although a loose sheet of paper is usually too soft to cut the skin, it can be very thin (sometimes as thin as a razor's edge), and can thus exert enough pressure to cause a cut.

Paper cuts can be very painful, as they can stimulate a large number of skin surface nociceptors (pain receptors) in a very small area of the skin.

This can be exacerbated by irritation caused by the fibers in the paper itself, which may be coated in chemicals such as bleach.

Additionally, most paper cuts occur in the fingers, which have a greater concentration of sensory receptors than the rest of the body.