When you get a cut, myofibroblasts help fix it. They grab the edges of the wound and pull them closer together.
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Under your skin are cells called fibroblasts (FY-bro-blasts). They make the strong, stretchy stuff that holds your body together.
When you get a cut, some fibroblasts change into myofibroblasts. They grow long, muscle-like threads inside, so they can pull. They are long and thin, with pointy ends.
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Myofibroblasts hold on to the stuff around them and to each other. Then they tighten up and pull, making the wound smaller.
They also make collagen (KOL-uh-jen), a tough material that fills in the gap. When the wound is healed, most of them go away.
Have you noticed that a healing scrape gets smaller day by day? Myofibroblasts pulling the edges together is part of the reason!