First, it sounds like you sustained a laceration which went down into the deeper layers of the skin. We tend to separate out injuries into how deep they go into the skin in terms of making further recommendations.

First, abrasions are basically scuffs off the surface layer of the skin which generally need some covering to prevent bleeding and exposure to other players during other events, but heal quite quickly. Superficial lacerations just extend down into the surface layer of the skin, and even when one attempts to pull the skin margins apart there is very little spreading occurring at the edges of the laceration. For these superficial lacerations, it would be appropriate to use a bandaid, butterfly bandaid, steristrips, or other means to hold the skin edges together for a couple of days until it heals. In all cases, the wound that is created should be thoroughly cleaned out to make sure that there is little risk of infection.

Once the laceration extends into the deeper layers of the skin, it is more important to obtain a water tight seal and to keep the skin edges together to allow for quicker healing. Although we are currently working on some types of skin glue to hold the edges together, the accepted form of treatment for these type of lacerations is to use sutures (stitches) to hold the skin edges together. The stitches help to decrease the chance of infection, allow for quicker healing, and when properly placed, leave less of a scar.

The use of steristrips or a butterfly bandaid may be appropriate for a brief period of time until one can reach appropriate treatment for these deeper lacerations. At that point, a doctor can make the proper decision on whether this type of treatment is appropriate because the lesion is small enough to handle it, or whether stitches may be necessary. We have found it especially difficult in hockey players to use steristrips or butterfly bandaids to hold even the smallest lacerations together because of perspiration with activity while playing hockey. The perspiration will generally cause the adhesive tape to become loose and ineffective in holding the edges of the laceration together.

To summarize, the initial steps in taking care of a cut on your face would be to make sure it is cleaned out appropriately so that you minimize the chance of infection. Superficial abrasions can be treated with appropriate coverage until the skin heals. Small cuts into the surface layer of the skin which do not spread apart when pulled at its edges can be treated with a bandaid or other adhesive means. Deeper cuts in which the skin comes apart in its deeper layers, when stretched apart at its edges, should be evaluated by a physician or other medical personnel to see if stitches are necessary.