To quickly heal a wound, besides being careful with the dressing, it is also important to eat healthy and avoid other harmful habits, such as smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages or having a sedentary lifestyle. Such activities harm the blood circulation in our body and in turn reduce the required blood flow from reaching the wound for proper healing. It is always important to keep the wound clean and cover to avoid an infection that can also harm general health. We bring you some wound care steps that ensure quicker healing and avoid long-lasting scars and other skin complications.
How to take care of a wound in order to heal faster?
Table of Contents
Wash the wound and bandage it
For simple wounds, such as a cut or scratch, the first step should be to wash the wound and surrounding skin to remove as much bacteria and viruses as possible, preventing the development of an infection. You can use saline solution or antibacterial soap, maintaining a neutral pH balance. On the other hand, surgical wounds or those more severe and exposed should be cleaned with saline solution and sterilized material. However, if the wound is very dirty, you can use a little saline to remove the dirt before going to the hospital. Remember to cover the fresh wound to avoid further dirt accumulation.
Apply heat to the wound for 15 minutes
Applying a warm compress over the dressing or wound for 15 minutes helps to increase blood flow to the area, increasing the amount of nutrients and cells in the area, speeding up healing. This technique can be done 2-3 times a day, but should only be done after the cone has formed. If the site becomes very swollen or causes pain, you should immediately remove the warm compress and refrain from applying heat during that day, or apply the compress for a shorter time. Afterwards, a dressing must be applied.
Keep the wound elevated
When the wound site is swollen for more than 2 days it is important to elevate the wound to reduce fluid build-up and facilitate blood circulation. This type of swelling is more common in people who have heart or circulation problems, and it usually arises from leg sores. Thus, it is important to place your legs about 20 cm above the level of your heart at least 3 times a day or whenever possible.
Eat omega 3 and vitamins A, C and E
Foods rich in omega 3 such as tune, chia seeds or salmon, as well as other foods which are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E such as oranges, mangoes, tomatoes or peanuts. These Omega and vitamin rich foods are a great way to fortify the organism and stimulate the faster formation or healing of tissues that cover the wound and help in the recovering the new layer of skin.
Thus, making a richer diet in this type of food and avoiding others that hinder healing, such as sugar, soft drinks, chocolate milk or fatty pork, is an excellent way to ensure a faster cure of the wound. Healing ointments are also a good option for speeding up healing, as they provide important nutrients for the regeneration of the new skin layer.
How does healing happen?
Inflammatory phase: It lasts between 1 to 4 days and starts with a constriction of blood vessels to prevent bleeding. But later, this phase evolves into the dilation of the vessels, so that the blood arrives at the place with all the cells necessary for healing.
Proliferative phase: It lasts between 5 to 20 days. In this phase, the formation of collagen and other fibers that help to close the wound begins.
Maturation phase: It is the longest phase that can last from 220 days to couple of weeks or even months, depending on the degree of wound.
When any of these phases does not happen, either due to lack of blood in the region or an infection, healing is compromised or a chronic wound may appear, as in the case of the diabetic foot. Putting sugar on wounds is a “grandmother’s recipe” that spans generations. The practice helps to heal cuts and scrapes more quickly.
Alarm signs for going to the doctor
Although most wounds heal without any complications, there is always the chance of having a local infection. Thus, it is important to go to the hospital if such signs arise – intense swelling that does not improve after 3 days, excessive bleeding, presence of pus in the wound, difficulty moving the affected area, very intense pain, high fever, etc.
