Understanding the healing process

The wound healing process is a natural recovery response to damaged tissue. Minor injuries can heal at home with personal care, but there are a number of medical conditions that make healing difficult.

Wounds are injuries that damage body tissue and usually occur in the skin. The skin is the largest human organ and plays a role in protecting the body against microbes (viruses, fungi, bacteria). If the skin is injured, germs can easily penetrate the skin and cause infection.
Scars, punctures, wounds and burns are all forms of injury. In addition, old surgical sutures are also classified in the wound. The most common objects are sharp objects, falls, burns and accidents.

What is the healing process?

Wounds can heal themselves by caring for themselves at home. Independent treatment of wounds can be done if the wound is not too deep, not in dangerous parts of the body, for example on the face, and if the bleeding stops quickly or after about 10 minutes.

The healing process requires several steps, namely:
  • Inflammation or inflammation stage
At the beginning of the wound healing process, blood vessels shrink to stop the bleeding. Platelets (cells that play a role in blood clotting) freeze in the wound area. After coagulation is complete, blood vessels dilate to drain blood into the injured area. This is the reason why the wound is hot, swollen and reddish.
Then, white blood cells flood the area to prevent infection, destroy bacteria and other microbes. White blood cells also produce chemicals that help repair damaged tissue. In addition, new skin cells develop to cover the wound.
  • Fibroblastic stage
This step is the phase of formation of scar tissue after the wound. At this stage of healing, collagen begins to develop in the wound. Collagen is a protein fiber that gives strength to the skin. The presence of collagen causes the wound edges to contract and close. In addition, small blood vessels (capillaries) form in the wound to provide blood supply to the newly formed skin.
  • Maturation stage
Collagen production continues to grow so that the damaged tissue slowly recovers. The maturation process can take months or even years. That's why more and more scars disappear.

After the damaged tissue is completely healed, the skin will be as strong as before the injury. However, the appearance of marked skin may differ from normal skin. Indeed, the skin is composed of two proteins, namely collagen which gives strength to the skin and elastin which gives flexibility to the skin. In a scar, the skin can no longer produce new elastin. Because of that the scar is made entirely of collagen. The skin on this scar is strong but less flexible than the surrounding skin.

Specific conditions that result in injuries that are difficult to heal

Several conditions lead to difficult wound healing, namely:
  • bleeding
Bleeding makes it difficult to close the wound and heal.
  • Foreign object
Foreign bodies, including dead skin tissue, inhibit the wound healing process. Dirty sores are also susceptible to germ infections, which can interfere with the healing process. Therefore, it is very important to clean the wound and treat it properly.
  • Friction
Friction injuries with clothing can worsen the condition. It is recommended to wear soft clothes and close the wound to avoid friction.
  • age
Injuries tend to heal longer in the elderly.
  • Nutritional deficiencies
Lack of nutrients such as vitamin C, protein and iron can inhibit the healing process.
  • Smoke
Research shows that the healing process of wounds in smokers is much longer and deformed compared to nonsmokers. This is thought to be related to the effects of smoking, which can interfere with the performance of white blood cells and disrupt blood flow, as well as high levels of toxins in the blood.
  • Stress
Physical and psychological stress have been shown to affect the inhibition of the wound healing process. It is estimated that this is related to the effect of stress on the low amount of oxygen in the blood, so the wound healing process takes longer. In cases of stress, a person also tends to have unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and consuming excessive alcohol, thus contributing to wound healing.
  • treatment
Injuries in patients undergoing dialysis procedures, chemotherapy, treatment with corticosteroids or anticoagulants, tend to be more difficult to cure.
  • disease
The process of wound healing is greatly influenced by blood flow and the role of white blood cells in the immune system. Blood-related diseases, such as anemia and vascular disease, can reduce blood supply to injured tissue, slowing the recovery process.

Diabetes is also a condition that makes it difficult to heal wounds. Wounds in diabetics tend to be more difficult to cure. Even small wounds can get worse quickly and become a dangerous infection if not treated immediately. Foot injuries are the most common type of injury in diabetics. In severe cases, foot amputation must be done so that the infection does not spread.

The wound healing process is slow due to high blood sugar. Blood glucose that is too high will reduce blood flow, prevent cells from finding nutrients and oxygen, disrupt the immune system and increase the risk of inflammation. This condition will definitely hamper the wound recovery process.

The time needed to fully heal a wound depends on the condition of the wound. The bigger the wound, the deeper and dirty, the longer the healing process. If you have a serious injury or bleeding due to a non-stop wound, you should seek the help of a doctor or health care provider and ask that you be treated for injuries in the hospital. .

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