How Does a Styptic Pencil Work?

Styptic Pencils

A styptic pencil is a short piece of an anti-hemorrhagic compound, usually alum or silver nitrate based, that stops bleeding from small cuts and nicks. Styptic pencils were common in shaving kits in the days before safety razors, and are still used by those who shave with straight razors and by vets or pet owners to stop bleeding from pet nails cut too short.

Stops Bleeding

When the moistened styptic pencil is pressed onto a cut, the anti-hemorrhagic elements in the pencil react with the skin and the tiny blood vessels called capillaries that run underneath it. The alum causes the blood vessels to contract, tightening up any openings caused by cuts.

Seals the Wound

The chemicals in the styptic pencil also coat the outside of the skin, creating a thin barrier that protects the cut from becoming infected by outside agents while it is healing.

Other Uses and Forms

Styptic materials are also available as powders, which, like the pencil, are moistened and then applied to the site of the cut. Styptic pads are sold by vets and in pet care catalogs as ways to stop the bleeding that occurs when a pet's nail is cut too closely to the quick, or location of blood vessels in the nail bed.

References

• Your Dictionary.com: Styptic Pencil
• Lee's Razors: About Styptic Pencils