Wound healing Flashcards
What are the 3 main stages of wound healing?
Inflammation, Proliferation, Maturation
What is inflammation and when does it occur?
Within the first few hours, the wound surfaces become inflamed, a blood clot (mainly fibrin) and cell debris fill the gap between them
What occurs during proliferation?
Epithelial cells proliferate across the wound - the epidermis meets and grows upwards until full thickness is restored
How is a scab formed?
During proliferation, the clot above the new tissue becomes the scab which separates after 3-10 days
What is the role of granulation tissue in proliferation?
Consists of new capillary buds, phagocytes and fibroblasts
It develops and invades the clot, when it reaches the level of the dermis, epithelial cells at the edges proliferate and grow towards the centre
What do fibroblasts do in proliferation?
Secrete collagen fibres
What do phagocytes do in proliferation?
Remove the clot and bacteria
What do capillary buds do in proliferation?
Restore blood supply to the wound
What happens to granulation tissue during maturation?
It is gradually replaced by fibrous scar tissue (usually over several months) until the full thickness is restored
How does the wound become stronger during maturation?
Rearrangement of the collagen fibres occurs
How is scar tissue different?
It is shiny, there are no sweat glands, hair follicles or sebaceous glands
Over time it becomes less vascular
