Wound healing goes through 4 stages

1.Hemostasis Phase: 

The hemostasis phase occurs as the injury happens and is the first response from the body. 

The wound causes blood and other fluids to leave the body. The body responds by trying to stop this flow of blood. 

The newly formed platelets also prevents germs from getting into the body. 

This restores the skin’s function as a barrier against dirt and other potentially infectious agents so that healing can begin.

2.Inflammatory Phase: 

The cleaning and healing of the area begin.

White blood cells enter the area to start cleaning out the wound and move any waste away from the site and out of the body.

3.Proliferative Phase: 

Occurs when the wound is stable. The body’s focus during this stage is to close the wound, create new tissue, and repair any damaged blood vessels in the area. This occurs over the course of four different processes:

– Epithelialization: The process of creating new skin tissue in the various layers of damaged skin.

– Angiogenesis: The creation of new blood vessels in the area of the wound healing.

– Collagen formation: The building up of strength in the tissue of the wound.

– Contraction: This is the reduction and eventual closing of the wound size and area.

Granulation tissue (connective tissue and blood vessels) starts to form around 4 days into a wound’s healing process.

4.Remodeling Phase: 

The internal wound is mostly healed. The process switches to creating strong skin to replace the temporary tissue in the area. 

The body replaces the temporary granular tissue from the early wound with stronger scar tissue. As time goes on, the scar tissue has an increased concentration of collagen, which makes it stronger.