Description & phases of surgical wound treatment in Lubbock, Texas.
Surgical wounds are incisions in the skin made during a medical procedure. All wound care needs are specific to each individual patient, as all surgical wounds are different.
They can differ in size, and healing time depending on a variety of factors including age, health, and the type of surgery performed.
Phases of Wound Healing
Wound
healing has classically been described to occur in three phases, regardless
of the mechanism of injury. These phases are the inflammatory, the
proliferative, and the remodeling phases.
The inflammatory phase
The inflammatory phase is the body’s natural response
to injury and takes place immediately after the wound is formed. The wounding
triggers a localized release of inflammatory mediators that encourage
vasodilation.
The inflammatory phase of wound healing is responsible
for the classical signs of inflammation that occur in response to an injury: erythema,
heat, edema, pain, and decreased function.
The Proliferative Phase
The wound starts to rebuild itself in the proliferative
phase. Granulation tissue, comprising collagen and extracellular matrix, fills
the wound defect and angiogenesis also occurs. As the wound defect fills, the
wound gradually contracts and epithelial tissue begins to form at the wound
edges.
The Remodelling Phase
The final stage of wound healing is remodeling, which
occurs once the wound is closed. In this phase, the wound regains its tensile
strength as the collagen fibers within the wound remodel and reorganize
themselves. It is also during this phase that the wound
vascularised and returns to its original state of blood supply.
How does a wound heal?
In healthy people, most wounds heal within a couple of
weeks but this can vary depending on the type of operation you had.
The way a wound heals can be divided into several phases, which may overlap.
· Immediately after the cut, cells called platelets in
your blood form clumps and release chemicals to stop the bleeding.
· In the first few days, blood flow to your wound
increases and white blood cells arrive to fight infection and remove dead
tissue. New cells arrive to start repairing the wound.
· From three days to three weeks, new blood vessels
grow to bring nutrients to your wound and new tissue starts to develop.
· Finally, from three weeks up to about a year, the new
tissues laid down in the wound are gradually replaced and re-organized. Your
scar gradually gets stronger, paler, and more like normal skin.
Monitoring wound
While the wound
is healing, it’s important to keep an eye on it and check for signs of
infection. You can learn what to look out for in the section below: Wound
infections.
Sometimes a lump can form around the scar. This is
called a hematoma let GP or surgeon know if you feel any lumps.
You may wish to keep your wound out of the sun while
it’s healing. While sunlight doesn’t affect healing, the top layer of your skin
produces a pigment called melanin that gives your skin its color. So if you
expose your skin to the sun while your wound is healing, the scar might look
different from the skin around it.
Dressings
It’s not always necessary to have a dressing on a
surgical wound but if you do need one, it’s purpose is to:
· absorb any fluid weeping from your wound
· provide the best conditions for healing
· protect the area as your wound heals
Incision Care Tips
After some surgeries
wound, you may be given special instructions other than these for taking
care of the incision. Be sure to follow those instructions carefully.
Don’t expose your incision to direct sun for 3 to 9
months after surgery. As an incision heals, the new skin that is formed over
the cut is very sensitive to sunlight and will burn more easily than normal
skin. Bad scarring could occur if you get sunburn on this new skin
Comments
Post a Comment