How Does Our Body Heal Our Wounds?
Before we answer your question, allow us to begin this blog with a question.
What is the largest organ of the human body?
Is it the brain? No. It may be located on the top and extend through every nook and cranny of our body through the peripheral nervous system but no, the brain is not the largest organ. Is it the liver then? Nope, not even close.
It is our skin. But wait… how can the skin be the largest organ in our body? What is an organ in the first place? Well, an organ is a part of an organism. It is a collection of tissues that come together in order to do a specific function.
So is the skin a part of an organism? Is it a part of a human being? Yes, it is. Does it involve a collection of tissues? Yes. Does it do a specific function? Yes. The function of the skin is to make a barrier of our body from the outside. It is designed to protect us from the harsh weathers and temperature outside of our system.
Just like people, the skin has different characteristics. The surface of the skin is able to perform a lot of functions. These functions include:
- Sweating
- Feeling heat
- Feeling cold
- Growing hair
Moreover, did you notice that once you have a deep cut wound, the area of the skin having the wound looks different than the rest of the areas? There is also a possibility that the wounded area will not be able to do the function we mentioned earlier.
Why does this happen?
Before we answer the question, let us first explore the different layers of the skin. The outer layer is called epidermis. This is composed of cells that have been hardened. It provides protection to our body.
The epidermis is just easy to repair since it is composed of dead cells. Yup, the skin you put lotion on in order to look and feel young is just composed of dead skin. We are so sorry to burst your bubble.
But in some cases, the wound would penetrate right through the dermis, the lower layer of the skin. The dermis contains glands, blood vessels, and nerve endings. Once the wound cuts deep into this layer, the regenerative process begins.
- Hemostasis
Once this process kicks in, our body will respond to two emergencies that have just happened: the loss of blood and the breaking of the epidermis. In order to solve this, the blood binds together and forms a blood clot.Then fibers composed of protein help in the process in order to keep the blood in while keeping harmful bacteria out. After three hours, the surrounding area of the skin turns red. If this happens, we will now go and begin the next stage. - Inflammation
Once the bleeding is under control and there has been a barrier, we now being the second order of defense. The body begins sending a special army that will combat the bacteria that broke the first line of defense. Among this special army is the white blood cell. - Proliferative
Now let us begin repairing! Collagen, a fibrous protein, will be produced. This protein creates skin that repairs the damaged cells. - Remodeling
Once the production of the collagen is over, the process of remodeling occurs. The broken cells in the epidermis begin to reproduce until it covers the entirety of the affected and wounded skin.
After knowing the process, we all know that healing one’s wound is not that easy especially for the older adults. Boschulte’s Pride provides wound care services as well as other home health care services in Columbus, Ohio so that a person’s wound would completely heal effectively.
Wound healing requires a sanitary environment and a skilled caregiver or professional who can tend to the patient. We can do that here in Boschulte’s Pride.
