Last updated on 4/21/22 | First published on 1/24/19 | Literature review current through Oct. 2024
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Wound Poster "When is My Wound Going to Heal"?
Click here to enlarge the poster
How do wounds heal?
A wound goes through different stages before it closes. The stages are:
- Injury: When the skin is injured, bleeding happens and the body tries to stop the bleeding by forming clots
- Inflammation: In this stage, many different types of cells come to the wound from different parts of the body, in order to destroy bacteria and clean the wound
- Tissue growth: After the wound is clean, the body makes new cells to fill and decrease the wound
- Healed: Once the wound is closed, the body continues to organize the new cells and tissue while they mature and become stronger
How do I know my wound is infected?
If you see any of the signs below your wound may be infected and you should contact your clinician:
- Increased pain
- Increased redness
- Increased warmth
- Increased swelling
- Increased drainage
- Increased odor
What is good and what is bad for my wound?
Good:
- Wash your hands with soap and water before and after changing your wound dressing
- Eat a well-balanced diet to help your wound heal
- Keep your wound covered with a clean dressing
Bad:
- Dryness: Avoid drying out your wound. Wounds heal faster when kept moist
- High blood sugars: Watch your blood sugars and keep them controlled if you have diabetes mellitus
- Smoking: Smoking reduces the supply of oxygen to heal the wound
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NOTE: This is a controlled document. This document is not a substitute for proper training, experience, and exercising of professional judgment. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, neither the authors nor the Wound Reference, Inc. give any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them nor accept any liability, with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omissions in the contents of the work.
