Healing

When the integrity of our skin is disrupted, intentionally or unintentionally, our body immediately reacts with an amazing healing process. This process goes through three phases:

	The Inflammatory Phase. This phase begins at the time of injury and lasts four to six days after the injury. It is during this time that bleeding is controlled, a cleansing process is started within the wound, and chemicals are released to enhance the healing process.
	The Proliferative Phase. This phase lasts from four days to 24 days after our injury. During this time our body is working to bring strength to the area of the injury, and the healing process continues. It is during this phase that you will notice your wound edges starting to pull together.
	The Maturation Phase. This phase lasts from 21 days to two years after our injury. During this time the process is continuing to bring more strength to our injured area. This process can continue for many months until the wound edges close.

In any case, keep in mind that although a wound may completely heal, the injured area will never regain its original strength. Therefore, we need to be very careful not to re-injure this area.

Did you know - fluid that occurs naturally in a wound contains important ingredients that help the wound to heal?