Do You Know the Four Essential Stages of Wound Healing?
Having a wound can lead to discomfort. Depending on your case, the pain might be severe or mild. However, many people still want to know how long it will take for their wounds to heal. When it comes to recovery, your wound will not just suddenly heal — there are specific stages of wound healing that occur.
In this blog, we will go over the possible stage of wound healing and what to expect. Carry on reading to learn more about how wounds heal.
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Stages of wound Healing
The process of wound healing is dynamic, and it is an incredible example of how our bodies work to repair the damage. When your skin receives an injury, your body automatically starts working to restore the affected area. These series of events are also termed ‘cascades of healing,’ which includes four phases of healing that often overlap. Below, you will find a list of stages of wound healing:
- Hemostasis Phase
As soon as you get injured, the hemostasis phase dives into action since it is the first stage. During this phase, your body aims to stop the bleeding by activating the emergency repair system. After that, a dam block is formed to block the drainage as the platelets interact with collagen, which results in activation and aggregation. In addition, an enzyme known as thrombin initiates the development of fibrin mesh, helping the platelet clump into a stable clot. - Defensive or Inflammatory Phase
Next, we have the defensive or inflammatory phase of wound healing. This stage of wound healing primarily focuses on eliminating bacteria as well as debris, basically preparing the wound bed to allow new tissue growth.
All stages of wound healing work to safely eliminate the issue and prevent further complications. Therefore, neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) enter the wound to remove debris and destroy bacteria. In 24 to 48 hours of the injury, the cells reach their peak population and gradually decrease significantly after three days.
When the white blood cells leave, macrophages enter to clear the debris. These specialized cells also produce proteins and growth factors that facilitate tissue repair. - Proliferative Phase
After the wound has been cleaned out, your body works to fill and cover the injury in the proliferative stage. This phase, too, has further stages of wound healing. Firstly, the injured area is filled as red granulation tissues fill the wound bed with connective tissue while the new blood vessels form. Then, the wound margins shrink and pull towards the center of the wound in the contraction stage. Lastly, covering of the wound takes place as the epithelial cells begin the migration across the bed. This goes on until the wound is covered with epithelium. - Maturation Phase
Once the covering is over, you have almost covered all the stages of wound healing; now, it is time for the maturation phase. In this stage, the tissues will strengthen and stabilize while the collagen fibers reorganize. Moreover, the tissues remodel and mature, with an increase in tensile strength. The duration of the maturation phase depends on the wound, often lasting between 21 days to two years.
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What’s the Takeaway?
In conclusion, there are stages of wound healing that occur. Your body gets into action to heal itself and prevent you from further complications. With professional wound care and aftercare, your wound will have a safe recovery.
At Advanced Wound Center, we treat all kinds of wounds, injuries, and infections. Talk to us now at (415) 429-4225 if you need help. You can also visit us at 165 Rowland Way # 301-A, Novato, CA.