Gareth......tch,tch,tch. (Hehehehehehehee!) Friend of mine had a similar experience with a microtome (weighted blade for cutting tissue specimens for slides). She took the tip of her finger off. The technician who was training her was pissed off 'cos she had to clean the whole set up out, 'cos my mate had bled everywhere. She said she really didn't feel much until the skin started to grow back. Then, she said, it hurt like b***ery.

For those with healing problems, try making sure you're getting enough zinc (a multivit tablet will do) as this is essential for good healing. As people have already said, stopping the skin from drying out is a big plus ( it also helps to stop infections ) and helps prevent a build up of scar tissue.