A wound anywhere on your skin is at risk for infection. Even something as tiny as a paper cut can take awhile to heal, and the longer it takes, the longer you are at risk for developing some type of complication.
If your wound doesn’t seem to be healing in a timely fashion, you may need to seek wound care from a specialist. If you find yourself asking, “How long will my wound take to get healthy,” then it may be time to call a doctor.
So, How Long Will My Wound Take to Get Healthy?
There are four stages that all wounds go through in order to heal. The amount of time it takes to work through all four stages depends on multiple factors, including pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, how deep the wound is, and how long each phase takes.
The four stages of wound healing are:
- Hemostasis: During this stage, the bleeding is stopped.
- Clotting: This stage helps stop blood loss and creates a scab.
- Growth and Proliferation: Your body starts rebuilding to its pre-wound state by creating new tissue. Scar tissue forms and then slowly fades.
- Strengthening: Your body continues to repair the wound even though it may appear to be done healing during this last phase. This is the maturation process when your body strengthens the area.
If Your Wound Is Not Healing, Consult a Wound Specialist to Reduce the Danger of Infection!
A slow process during any of these phases can result in a wound infection, so it’s important to seek care if you have a wound that is healing too slowly.
Signs of a wound infection include swelling, redness, heat, pain, or tenderness around the wound. Any type of discharge, including pus, is a sign that your wound may be infected.
Here’s When It’s Time to Call a Wound Care Specialist for a Slow Healing Wound!
Seek care for your wound if you see signs of an infection or if your wound has not healed after several months.
However, you may need to seek care sooner than that for minor cuts and scrapes that haven’t healed after a week. For outstanding wound care second to none in Hagerstown, contact us today at 301-739-7790.
When in doubt about how long will my wound take to get healthy, call your doctor!