I think I may have been a steri-strip test case when I was 10 - to see how few steri-strips were needed to hold a wound together!

I'd been racing around on my bicycle, and hit a stone with the front wheel whilst leaning around a corner. Needless to say, I landed on my head and arms. After checking my forehead and arms for signs of injury, I got back on my bike and proceeded to ride again, somewhat slower than before, counting my blessings. About 50 yards down the road I wiped some sweat from my thigh (hot day), only to then discover my hand was covered in blood.

At that point I looked down, and nearly fell off again. It hadn't hurt before, but the sight of a 3 inch long, half-inch wide, deep gash in my thigh awoke my nerves nicely. I had obviously caught my leg on some part of the bike when flying over the handlebars.

Of course, this all happened when my dad had our only car up on axle stands for some serious brake work!

After borrowing a neighbour's car, we went to the hospital, where unbelievably, they used only two steri-strips crossed over in an X to hold the wound, and then bound it. We had been expecting stitches.

Needless to say, a few hours later blood was seeping through the bandage wrap. So, we asked of our close neighbours (who was a nurse) to check it. She was gobsmacked that they'd only put 2 steri-strips on the wound, and did her best to reclose it with many more. But by that time it was too late - the gash had started to heal too much in the 'open' position, and only an inch or so of one end healed 'closed'

So I know carry a scar nearly 4 inches long on my thigh, the majority of which is nearly half an inch wide.