7 reasons why your wound won’t heal

You know the saying, “Time heals all wounds”? Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily true. Chronic wounds can linger for weeks, even months, and in many cases don’t heal without medical intervention.

A wound is considered chronic if it has not healed significantly in four weeks or completely in eight weeks. If you’re suffering from a wound or sore that isn’t showing any signs of healing, talk to your doctor. If left untreated, chronic wounds can cause dangerous complications.

A fresh wound is usually red, irritated, and possibly swollen, whereas a chronic wound has distinctive symptoms, including:

  • No signs of healing within a 30-day period, such as scabs or new tissue
  • Numbness around the wound area
  • A change in color
  • A foul odor
  • Discharge from the wound
  • Noticeable swelling.

When a wound remains stagnant, there are usually one or more underlying conditions that need to be treated to allow the healing process to resume.

By understanding what those reasons may be, you can take steps to treat the issues and get your wound back to a healing state. Let’s learn about 7 reasons that may be delaying or even stopping your wound from healing.

Infection

Your skin is your body’s first line of defense against infection. When the skin breaks, it allows bacteria to enter the body through an open wound. Infections in a wound can all but halt the healing process. The body fights the infection, instead of healing the wound. The body’s immune system directs its efforts toward fighting bacteria rather than healing. Bacteria can also cause cell death as well as toxins that can delay or stop healing.

If a wound gets infected, you may notice redness, swelling, and pain around the site, as well as puss or foul-smelling fluid. Antibiotic treatment may be used to fight the infection.

Poor circulation

The blood is vitally important in delivering nutrients and oxygen to a wound, as well as removing debris, bacteria and toxins. For a variety of reasons, many people have poor blood circulation and, as a result, have non-healing wounds. Diabetes, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, obesity and other issues can cause insufficient circulation. Exercising or elevating the wound can help improve circulation.

Poor nutrition

The body needs an adequate supply of protein to build new tissue, as much as three times the normal daily requirement. Proper hydration is also key in helping wounds heal.

Unfortunately, poor nutrition is often overlooked as a reason for wounds that won’t heal.

Diabetes

Elevated blood sugar can slow down a diabetic’s blood circulation and negatively impact his immune system, putting him at a higher risk of infection.

In addition, a person with diabetes can have nerve damage, so he may not feel when something is hurting, causing a wound to go unnoticed.

Wound condition

If the area of the wound suffers repeated trauma or an excessive amount of pressure is applied to the area, then healing can be delayed due to a slow-down of blood circulation. Continuous moving or repositioning can relieve the pressure and allow proper circulation to the area so the wound can heal.

Dehydration can lead to the wound drying up and crusting over, but over-hydration can be just as troublesome. It can cause the wound to moisten and erode.

Excessive swelling is caused by fluid accumulating in the skin and can impair the body’s ability to heal a wound by restricting oxygen to the skin. A variety of compression therapies can be used to remove the fluid. Once the swelling goes down, proper wound healing can begin.

Medications

There are certain drugs, such as corticosteroids, that can inhibit the body’s inflammatory response. In addition, patients undergoing chemotherapy often have issues with non-healing wounds because cells do not proliferate. Those going through radiation therapy often have an increased risk of infection.

Age

Older adults often do not heal as quickly as children and healthy adults because their skin tends to be more fragile and susceptible to infections. Their bodies also typically do not have the ability to produce needed antibodies. Many elderly people also have chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, which lead to poor circulation as well as impair the oxygenation needed to promote healing.

Source: Summa Health, DFW Wound Care Center

About STELLAPHARM

Stellapharm is one of leading generics pharmaceutical companies and strong producer of anti-viral drugs in Vietnam. The company established in Vietnam in 2000; and focuses on both prescription drugs and non-prescription especially in cardiovascular diseases, antiviral drugs, anti-diabetics drugs, etc. and our products are now used by millions of patients in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The company is globally recognized for its quality through our facilities have been audited and approved by stringent authority like EMA, PMDA, Taiwan GMP, local WHO and others.

Additional information for this article: Stellapharm J.V. Co., Ltd. – Branch 1
A: 40 Tu Do Avenue, Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park, An Phu Ward, Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam
T: +84 274 376 7470 | F: +84 274 376 7469 | E: info@stellapharm.com | W: www.stellapharm.com

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