All You Need to Know about Stages of Wound Healing All You Need to Know about Stages of Wound Healing – Updated Article With Extra Information

There are many types of wounds that exist, and different types of treatments for them can be applied. However, the general wound healing process for most wounds is similar. Before we describe the stages of wound healing, let’s examine the different types of wounds:

1) Superficial cuts and scrapes. These involve only a small amount of bleeding, where the deeper skin layers are virtually unaffected. They may involve slow oozing.
2) Deeper cuts or lacerations. These go deeper through several layers of skin into the fat tissues. They involve more profuse bleeding. They may be caused by falling onto a blunt or sharp object.
3) Puncture wounds. These usually happen when pointy objects contact the skin with pressure, such as needles or nails, for example. Typically the wound is small and the bleeding is minimal.
4) Bites. These can be punctures or lacerations, or both. There is usually a presense of contaminated saliva in these, so special care may be required.

The wound healing process has 4 stages:

1) The Inflammatory Stage. This is one of the primary stages of wound healing, and it usually begins with bleeding. Immediately after, the blood vessels start narrowing and clots begin to form, with the release of necessary chemicals into the wound for it to start healing. Specialized cells then clear the wound from debris, which could take several days.

2) The Proliferative Stage. In this stage new skin cells and blood vessels are formed. The wound looks pinkish or red, because of the blood vessels that are newly formed. These blood vessels are also known as capillaries and they will supply oxygen and nutrients to the regenerating cells, so that the new cells continue to grow. They also support the growth of collagen, which is the substance that forms in the final stages of the healing.

3) The Remodeling Stage. This stage comes about 2-3 weeks after the injury. Here the collagen building is already underway, and the tissues are stronger. The blood vessel density is reduced and the wound is no longer pink. At this stage, about two thirds of the original skin is restored.

4) Epithelialization. During this stage the skin forms a protective barrier from its outer environment. The purpose of this is to prevent bacteria from getting into the wound, as well as to stop the loss of water. In the end, you should see a well-structured, stitched wound. If it was an open wound, it will take a lot more time for this process to finish. You may be left with a scar, but only if the injury had gone deep through several layers of skin, reaching the dermis layer.

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The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.