Healing a wound? These are the 4 fases of would healing

The wound-healing process takes place in four stages. Although every wound is different, your body essentially always goes through the same process. Are you curious to know which stages your wound goes through? We’d be happy to explain this to you.

How does a wound heal?

If you have a wound, your body immediately begins a healing process. This process consists of several stages during which your body works on its own to repair the damaged tissue.

The wound, scab or redness you can see is only a small part of what’s actually happening. Underneath your skin, a whole lot is going on to ensure that everything heals properly. If a wound doesn’t heal properly, something has gone wrong in one of the stages of wound healing. We’ll explain these stages to you in a moment.

Do all types of wounds go through the same healing process?

Actually, every wound goes through the same process. However, this can look different for everyone, and some processes run more smoothly than others. For example, a graze will usually heal faster than a cut or a surgical wound. The depth and size of the wound, as well as its cause and the condition of the skin, have a major influence on how quickly it heals.

4 fases van wondgenezing pleiser

Source: Pexels

The 4 stages of wound healing explained

Each stage of wound healing has its own unique role in ensuring your skin heals properly. Below, we explain each stage one by one.

1. Inflammatory phase – clearing and protecting

Immediately after the wound occurs, your body activates the immune system. It ensures that the wound stops bleeding and that your white blood cells clear away bacteria and damaged tissue. Redness, warmth and sometimes swelling often begin during this stage. A scab may also form towards the end of this stage.

2. Proliferative phase – repair and regeneration

In the second phase, your body produces new tissue. New skin cells, collagen and small blood vessels are formed. The wound now becomes slightly smaller and new tissue forms, sometimes beneath the scab.

3. Granulation phase – new tissue

Your wound is now reinforced with granulation tissue. This is healthy, new tissue that forms an important foundation for strengthening the skin.

4. Maturation phase – consolidation

In this phase, the wound is largely closed. However, even once it is closed, the skin continues to heal. This is because the new tissue is now becoming stronger and the scar may still change. This is the longest phase, which can sometimes last from weeks to as long as months.

Exactly how long this process takes depends very much on the type of wound. For superficial wounds, this often takes a few days to two weeks, whilst deeper wounds can take up to four weeks or longer. Phase four can sometimes even last up to a year, but you won’t really notice much of this yourself. Fortunately, there are ways to promote the wound-healing process.

rood licht therapie apparaat kopen

How can you promote wound healing?

It is a natural process, but in some cases you can speed up wound healing or support the process. Here’s what you can do yourself:

  • Keep the wound clean
  • Avoid pressure or irritation, for example from clothing
  • Eat a healthy diet with plenty of nutrients and stay hydrated
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Use red light therapy

Red light therapy can be a very valuable addition to effective wound recovery. This is because the red light stimulates the body’s natural processes, enabling tissues to repair more quickly and helping to reduce or prevent inflammation.

Promote wound healing with red light therapy

Red light therapy supports your skin’s natural healing processes. It penetrates the tissues and stimulates key bodily processes:

  • Cell activity, causing skin cells to divide more quickly and damaged tissues to repair themselves faster
  • Collagen production, making connective tissue stronger and helping scars heal better
  • Blood flow, ensuring more oxygen and nutrients reach the wound
  • Anti-inflammatory effects; the red light reduces swelling and irritation

Nowadays, you can easily use red light yourself with your own laser device. The PowerCure laser is one such device that you can use at home, for just a few minutes a day. In addition, the laser can also be used for other complaints and conditions, for both humans and animals. So it not only helps heal your wound, but is good for the whole household!

Check out the PowerCure Pro laser