Biology

A wound is a break or tissue injury that occurs on the skin. Wounds can be of different types depending on the cause of the injury. The consequential healing and repair of a wound is a stage wise process which progresses from the moment of inflammation through to the proliferation of cell network, remodeling and finally the formation of an epithelial layer. During a surgical incision, even though there occurs a damage and death of some of epithelial and connective tissue cells, a clean an uninfected wound develops which responds well to healing process. The clotted blood that covers the wound contains fibrin and blood cells which are kept on constant supply of neutrophils in the first days by the body (Braz, Loss, Japiassu, n.d.). Different changes occur on the surface of the wound and within a weeks time, there is a massive creation of connective tissues with disappearance of inflammatory facial appearance on the wound. By the end of four weeks, an intact epithelial layer covers what was once a wound which by then, appears as a scar with a new cellular tissue net without any inflammation.
   
In other cases where the wound results in substantial amount of loss of cell tissues, normal healing process is hampered. A more complex process of inflammation and cellular granulation occurs (Blum, 2003). However, the new configuration of skin that formes does not correspond to the original skin texture. This condition is known as wound contraction.
   
A good nutrition is of vital significance in enhancing wound healing process. Sufficient supply of protein especially ascorbic acid helps in collagen synthesis. Other factors such as patients age, and area infections can influence the rate of healing process. Abnormal healing processes results in irregularity in growth of tissue such as Keloid, however, the actual causes of such abnormalities remains unknown (Godrick, 1993).