Ever wondered about wound healing and how our integumentary system responds to injury?
We have spent years studying this incredible process and it is imperative to have extensive knowledge of the physiology and limitations in order to perform not just our job, but care for our patients to the highest standard; whether it’s medical burns, procedural aftercare or severe conditions.
Hopefully, this will give an overview of the amazing immune response and a greater understanding of the healing you can’t see.
Wound Healing is broken down into 4 main stages;
1. Scab formation (Homeostasis Phase): The emergency repair system stimulates blood clotting to block the drainage and the coagulation ensures scabs are formed. This limits the chance of infection and protects the wound.
2. Inflammation (Inflammatory Phase): Blood (white blood cells) flood to the injured area to clean the wound and initiate the growth factors to start rebuilding. They reach their peak numbers between 24 – 48 hours after injury, reducing after three days. This is why swelling will take 3 days to reach its peak and then disperse.
3. Re-building (Proliferative Phase): Red blood cells rush to the area to begin the re formation of healthy tissue. Collagen and elastin are being produced to form the “scaffolding” for new tissue and cells. This rebuilding of the damage starts from the bottom up until the wound is covered with epithelium. This phase is the longest of all the wound phases and lasts anywhere up to 24 days.
4. Maturation Phase: Even after your wound looks closed and repaired, it’s still healing. It might look pink, stretched, itchy or tight – this is your immune system continuing to repair and strengthen the area. Collagen fibres reorganise with the tissue continuing to strengthen after remodelling. The Maturation phase varies greatly from wound to wound and can last anywhere from 21 days up to 2 years!
As you can see, our healing centres around blood flow and this accounts for why injured areas remain red for a time after the trauma. They WILL fade with the right treatment, care and time. As everybody’s immune response is slightly different, the length the redness is visible will differ too.
*Certain medical issues may slow down or effect our body’s healing response.
