Your body needs good food to fuel the healing process. Include foods rich in vitamin C in your diet. The body needs vitamin C to make collagen. Fresh fruits and vegetables eaten daily will also supply your body with other nutrients essential to wound healing such as vitamin A, copper and zinc.
Cover broken skin with a thin layer of a topical steroid then a thick layer of a cream or ointment. Then, put a wet bandage over the ointment and cover that with a dry bandage. The bandage will help your skin absorb the cream and stay moist. Ask your doctor to show you how to wrap your skin.
In summary, proteins, carbohydrates, arginine, glutamine, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, copper, zinc, and iron play a significant role in wound healing, and their deficiencies affect wound healing.
In fact, studies show that moist wounds heal 50 % faster than dry wounds. On the other hand, if a wound is exposed to the air, this creates a dry environment that actually promotes cell death, not healing. Wound exudate, or fluid, also plays a vital role in the healing process.
Studies show that petroleum jelly is just as effective as an antibiotic ointment for non-infected wounds. Don't douse a minor wound with antiseptics like iodine or hydrogen peroxide. They're actually harmful to the skin and can delay healing.
Wounds need to be covered so that they can heal properly. When a wound is left uncovered, the new surface cells that are being created can easily dry out. When these important cells dry out, it tends to slow down the healing process. A wound should be covered using a clean bandage.
Pressure Ulcers
An example of a hard-to-heal wound is a pressure ulcer, otherwise known as bedsore.
Results. Honey has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used as a wound dressing to promote rapid and improved healing. These effects are due to honey's anti-bacterial action, secondary to its high acidity, osmotic effect, anti-oxidant content and hydrogen peroxide content.
Aquaphor is a great option for chapped or cracked lips, and can also soothe extremely dry skin, cracked hands and feet, can be used as a wound care ointment for minor cuts and burns, and many other skin irritations.
Aloe vera gel can not only increase the amount of collagen in wounds but also change the composition of collagen, increase collagen cross-linking and thereby promote wound healing. Scientific studies have shown that the gel can increase the flexibility and reduce the fragility of the skin since 99% of the gel is water.
Engaging in gentle exercise can help promote healing. While it's important to rest and allow the body time to heal after an injury or illness, gentle exercise can actually speed up the healing process in several ways. First, exercise helps to increase blood flow to the injured or affected area of the body.
Water is the best source of fluid. When you have a poor appetite, choose milk or smoothies more often. Plan drinks into your day, as your body may not always tell you when it's thirsty.
These include age, body type, chronic disease, immunosuppression, nutritional status, radiation therapy, and vascular insufficiencies. Age. Wounds in older patients may heal more slowly than those in younger patients, mainly because of comorbidities that occur as a person ages.
Wounds heal faster if they are kept warm. Try to be quick when changing dressings. Exposing a wound to the open air can drop its temperature and may slow healing for a few hours. Don't use antiseptic creams, washes or sprays on a chronic wound.
Ligaments, nerves and wounds in areas with more movement heal the slowest. Injuries to these areas have a longer recovery time because of poor blood circulation and constant motion stress.
Necrotic tissue, slough, and eschar
The wound bed may be covered with necrotic tissue (non-viable tissue due to reduced blood supply), slough (dead tissue, usually cream or yellow in colour), or eschar (dry, black, hard necrotic tissue). Such tissue impedes healing.
Sugar, alcohol, sodium-rich foods, and caffeine should all be avoided or limited while recovering from an injury.
Most wounds do not penetrate completely through all the layers of the skin (partial thickness) and will heal eventually. If the skin has been destroyed (full thickness) over large areas, such as in severe burns, it can't grow back properly.
A healthy lifestyle with sufficient sleep, exercise in the fresh air and the avoidance of pollutants also promotes the natural regeneration of your body and thus, promotes skin regeneration too. Skin regeneration can be stimulated not only by diet and lifestyle.
A wound that's healing can produce a clear or pink fluid. An infected wound can produce a yellowish, bad-smelling fluid called pus. When fluid seeps from a wound, it is called wound drainage.
Promote Wound Healing with Good Nutrition
Choose vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, such as broccoli or strawberries. For adequate zinc, choose fortified grains and protein foods, such as beef, chicken, seafood or beans. Some wounds may require a higher intake of certain vitamins and minerals to support healing.
Not only do wounds tend to heal more slowly with age but many chronic wounds such as diabetic or venous ulcers, arterial insufficiency, and pressure ulcers have been known to be associated with conditions that often occur in older individuals.