What holds your body together? Strong threads made by fibroblasts! These busy builders also help fix cuts.
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Fibroblasts are long cells with pointy arms. They live all over your body, in the spaces between other cells.
Their big job is making collagen. Collagen is made of strong threads, a bit like rope. These threads hold your skin, muscles, and other parts together.
Press Make collagen on the 3D model to see new threads appear.
When you get a cut, fibroblasts crawl into the hurt spot. They make lots of new collagen to fill the gap and build new tissue.
Press Crawl to watch a fibroblast move.
A scar is extra collagen that fibroblasts made while fixing a cut.
Fibroblasts also make stretchy threads that help your skin spring back.
Home activity: Gently pinch the skin on the back of your hand, then let go. Watch it snap back flat. Thank the threads your fibroblasts made!
Collagen is the most common protein in your whole body.