Skin Healing Concerns & Tips

When an injury appears a migration of different cells begins instantly and the complex healing process begins in the exact moment it happens.

Saying 'complex' doesn't really do justice in conveying the intricately and coordinated level of orchestration that occurs between the many cells, organs and products of the defensive system, which do such a wonderful job of maintaining our biological, health-filled integrity.

Platelets and inflammatory cells are the first cells to arrive at the site of injury and they provide key actions and 'signals' needed for the arrival of connective tissue cells and a new blood supply. This phase is named inflammatory phase. The signs have been well known since ancient times: tumor (swelling), rubor (redness), calor (heat) and dolor (pain).

The presence of wound macrophages is a signal that the inflammatory phase is nearing an end and the proliferative phase is beginning. Lymphocytes (white blood cells that help the body and fight infection) come into the damaged area at a later stage.

As the Proliferative phase advances the predominant cell in the damaged site is the fibroblast. These cells originate in the mesoderm that creates the connective tissue of the body, blood vessels and lymph vessels, and is responsible for producing the new matrix necessary to recover structure and function of the injured tissue. Fibroblasts attach to the cables of the temporary fibrin matrix and start to synthesize collagen.

In humans, 30% of the body's total protein is represented by collagen. In healthy tissues collagen provides firmness, stability and structure. Collagen is necessary to repair defects and recover anatomic structure and function. If too much collagen is gathered in the wound, normal anatomical structure is lost, function is compromised and fibrosis appears.

The collagen gathered into the extracellular matrix undergoes further processing by opening of the procollagen N and C-terminal peptides. In the extra-cellular matrix an important enzyme, lysyl oxidase, works on the collagen to create stable cross-links. As the collagen stabilizes and turns older, more and more of these intramolecular and intermolecular cross-links are established in the molecules. This important cross-linking step confers collagen its firmness and stability over time. Any form of natural scar treatment helps aid and assist normal tissue renewal

In summary, the healthy scar healing cascade begins with an orderly process of hemostasis and fibrin accumulation, which leads to an inflammatory cell cascade, recognized by neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes within the tissue. This is followed by migration and production of fibroblasts and collagen accumulation, and finally remodeling by collagen cross-linking and scar establishment. Despite this organized sequence of steps responsible for normal scar healing, pathologic reactions leading to fibrosis or chronic ulcers may occur if any part of the healing cascade is altered.