While we are learning about how to take care of our skin, one crucial element includes wound healing. You can rupture your skin or get hurt due to many different things. Clumsiness and banging into random furniture at home, for instance, is our common injury type. You can also get injured on the road because of an accident or literally any other activity.
Today, let us look at the different types, stages, and processes of wound healing and what your skin goes through during this.
What is a wound?
A wound refers to when your skin is ruptured and your tissue and blood vessels are possibly damaged due to an outside force.
What is wound healing?
Wound healing refers to the process of the skin rebuilding itself and healing from a wound.
There are types of wounds?
Yes, there are six types of wounds. Once you identify what kind of wound you have, you will find it easier to know what to do next. The different types of wounds include –
- Incised wounds are like cuts.
2. Lacerations don’t bleed much but damage tissue.
3. Abrasions are like scratches that can have dirt and other particles in them.
4. A puncture is a deep wound caused by something going into your skin and tissue.
5. Avulsions are when parts of the tissue completely come off.
6. Amputations usually entails losing a limb or a part of your body.
How does wound healing take place?
There are four stages of wound healing. Let’s have a look!
Hemostasis – 1st stage of wound healing.
This is the very first stage of healing a wound. It involves the clotting of the blood to stop excessive bleeding. This stage begins right when the injury takes place. The blood vessels tighten to reduce the loss of blood. After this, your platelets stick together to form a seal against the freshly damaged blood vessels. This is followed by your blood turning from a liquid state to a gel-like semi-solid state. Cool huh? This eventually forms the clot that plugs your wound!
Inflammation 2nd stage of wound healing.
The second stage of wound healing involves your blood vessels releasing something known as transudate. This causes swelling and consists of protein, water and salt. This stage helps prevent infection by removing bacteria and other germs that might cause harm. During this swelling, the healing and repair of the wound begin.
Proliferation. Almost done!
This stage involves new tissue replacing the damaged old one or the lost tissue. The next step is to rebuild the blood vessels that are lost or damaged so your tissue can be adequately oxygenated. The walls of the wound are brought closer together by something known as myofibroblasts. And finally, the epithelial cells begin to rebuild the surface of the damage and skin!
Maturation! The final stage.
This final stage is about the cosmetic appearance of the wound. The collagen takes its place, doing the final bits of healing and reducing the thickness of the scar. This last stage can begin after 21 days of the wound first occurring, and it can go on for quite a long time, sometimes up to a year or more.
What are the factors that affect wound healing?
Believe it or not, certain factors play a role in the process of wound healing. The amount of time it takes to heal a wound differs from person to person and can be affected by the following –
1. Oxygenation – Every wound needs the right amount of oxygen to help it heal properly. Not receiving this can hinder the process.
2. Infection – We all know that an open wound is quite susceptible to infection. If your wound gets infected, then it can cause more issues and delay the process of healing and make it harder.
3. Foreign body – If a foreign body is lodged in your wound then it you need to take it out before the wound can heal. If you do not take it out, it can lead to infections and complications in the wound healing process in the future.
4. Age – Older People tend to heal slower while younger bodies can heal quite fast.
5. Stress – High-stress levels can affect the immune function in your body and cause impaired wound healing.
6. Medical conditions – Health issues like diabetes can hamper the healing process and make it complicated and last longer than it should.
7. Medications – Certain types of medications like blood thinners can stop the blood from clotting and cause excessive blood loss.
When to see a doctor?
While you can treat minor cuts and bruises at home with the right ingredients, anything more than that requires a visit to the doctor. When it comes to wounds, you do not want to take the risk of it healing the wrong way as it can get an infection or end up with a chronic wound. Your doctor will know the proper steps to take in order to treat your wound correctly.
The silver lining
This whole process sounds quite complicated and gross, which it is however, it is important to remember that this is how our body fixes itself when it is hurt. Our ability to heal as human beings is nothing short of a miracle. Our bodies are made up of complex systems that do so much without us even sparing a thought so, don’t forget to thank your body every day for everything it does for you.
FAQ’s
1. What helps wounds heal faster?
Your wound can heal faster if you keep it warm, clean and protect it from dust and dirt.
2. What should I eat to heal wounds fast?
When a wound is healing, your body requires lots of hydration and protein-rich food so, you can top up your plate with food like eggs, meat, nuts, beans and milk.
3. What stimulates skin healing?
Food rich in vitamin C can help boost new cell formation in the damaged area and it can also help build new protein for the skin.
4. What part of the human body cannot heal itself?
The answer to this one is your teeth. They cannot repair themselves or regrow parts of the teeth or even the whole tooth after a certain age. Only milk teeth fall off and grow again in the case of children.
