Phases of Wound Repair

According to DermNet, the skin is able to heal naturally and rapidly when it is injured. Its repair process includes four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and maturation. These phases overlap each other; their progress depends on many factors, such as the position of the wound, the type of tissue damaged and whether or not the wound is infected. Depending on how severe a wound is, the skin may remain scarred, even after the wound has completely healed.

Hemostasis

• According to the Pilodinal Support Alliance, hemostasis is the wound repair phase in which the damaged blood vessels are sealed. Platelets, a type of cell, secretes substances which aid in the process of sealing the damaged blood vessels. This phase takes place within minutes of the injury.

Inflammation

• DermNet describes inflammation as a phase that occurs when the skin reacts to the injury. White blood cells called neutrophils provide the first defense line by cleaning up the wound. They bring nutrients, clean up the wound by removing bacteria and debris, and initiate chemical stimuli to help the wound heal faster. The second line of defense, macrophages, another type of white blood cell, secretes growth factors which help prepare the wound for the next stage of repair.

  According to Pilodinal Support Alliance, the obvious manifestation of the inflammation phase is scab formation, swelling, warmth and pain in the area. This happens immediately after the injury and can last from two to five days, overlapping with other processes.

Proliferation

• According to DermNet, proliferation, the second phase in wound repair, involves granulation, wound contraction and the growth of epithelial cells under the scab of the wound. Granulation is the process during which fibroblasts create a layer of collagen to produce new capillaries. During wound contraction, the edges of the wound pull together to help close up the wound and reduce the injury.

  Proliferation occurs from two days to three weeks, depending on the size of the wound. Manifestations of the process include redness on the base of the wound. This process prepares the wound for the final process of its healing phase.

Maturation

• MedicalEdu describes maturation as the final process of wound repair, which involves the formation of new collagen to increase the strength of the skin around the wound. However, the tissue of the scar formed around the wound will only be around 80 percent as strong as the original skin. The process of maturation can last from as short as three weeks to up to two years, depending on how deep and large the wound is.

  As the phase which completes the phases of wound repair, maturation is responsible for the "final touches" after the interior of the skin is healed. Through the process called fibroblasting, the cells fibrocytes act as the remodelers of the skin. It ensures that the skin is strong again and that it is protected from possible irritants.