The problem seen in the image could have been prevented by which practice?

• A. Facing less aggressively
• B. Facing more aggressively
• C. Using a sharper blade
• D. Cutting slower

Answer: (A)

Controlling how you remove material from the paraffin block during microtomy is essential for clean, artifact-free sections. Facing the block too aggressively applies excessive knife pressure and removes material too quickly, which can produce surface imperfections like chatter, gouges, or tears. Those surface defects transfer into the sections and distort tissue architecture, making staining and interpretation harder.

Facing less aggressively lets you shave the block surface in small, controlled amounts, yielding a smooth, uniform face. This minimizes distortion in subsequent cuts and reduces the likelihood of artifacts in the stained slides. The other options don’t address the root cause: facing more aggressively would worsen the problem, a sharper blade helps cutting efficiency but doesn’t fix aggressive technique, and cutting slowly may help a bit but isn’t the most direct preventive measure.