• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Course Login

WoundEducators.com | Online Wound Care Certification Courses

Your online source for wound care certification.

  • Courses
  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Risk-Free Guarantee
    • Accredited Wound Care Course Info
    • Student Testimonials
    • Our Mission to Help
  • Why Certify?
    • What’s Included
    • How Hard is Wound Care Certification?
    • Wound Care Certification Cost
    • Wound Care Certification for Nurses
    • Getting Started: Wound Care Certification
  • Resources
    • Sign up for Our Newsletter
    • Search Wound Care Jobs
    • Post a Wound Care Job
    • Submit Your Resume
    • I Completed My Wound Care Course – Now What?
    • Wound Care CE Hours Online
    • Wound Care Recertification Process
  • Certifications
    • Compare Wound Care Certification Options
    • ABWM® Wound Care Certifications
      • The CWCA® Certification
      • The CWS® Certification
      • The CWSP® Wound Care Certification
    • The WCC® Certification
    • The AWCC® Wound Care Certification
    • The CWCN® Certification
  • Blog
  • FAQ’s
  • Contact

Wound Characteristics that Affect Wound Healing

April 13, 2011 1 Comment

1
SHARES
ShareTweetGoogle +Linkedin
PinterestRedditTumblrStumbleuponDiggDelicious

As well as systemic and local factors, a number of the wound’s own inherent characteristics affect the rate of wound closure and wound healing. It is important to understand these factors so that they can be managed optimally as part of an overall strategy to help achieve wound closure. There are eight wound characteristics that affect healing.

Wound Characteristics Affecting Wound Healing

  1. Mechanism of onset – In general, wounds due to an underlying pathology such as venous or arterial ulcers are slower to heal than acute wounds. Among acute wounds, traumatic wounds heal more slowly than clean, surgical wounds.
  2. Time since onset – The longer a wound has been in existence, the longer it will take to heal. In other words, wounds existing for a relatively short period of time (say around 2 months or less) have a greater chance of a successful outcome than those with a longer history.
  3. Wound location – Wounds occurring on bony prominences, on areas of decreased vascularity, in areas with fewer epidermal appendages and in areas where the skin is thickest tend to be slow to heal.
  4. Wound dimensions – As well as wound size and depth which would be expected to affect the rate of healing, wound shape also has an important effect. Linear wounds are generally the fastest to heal, followed by square or rectangular wounds, with circular wounds requiring the greatest time.
  5. Temperature – In general, the colder the wound, the longer it takes to heal. This is because at higher temperatures the vasculature dilates allowing tissue oxygen levels to be elevated, while the risk of infection is also reduced.
  6. Wound hydration – An appropriate level of wound hydration is required for optimal healing. If the wound is too dry, a crust forms over the wound, epithelial cell migration is inhibited, and the wound fails to move through the inflammation phase. If the wound is too moist, the wound edge becomes macerated. Achieving the correct moisture balance requires appropriate dressing selection and true skill on the part of the practitioner.
  7. Necrotic tissue or foreign bodies – Necrotic tissue and foreign bodies in the wound both prolong the inflammatory response and increase risk of infection. Meticulous debridement is the best way to remove these obstacles to wound healing.
  8. Infection – Infection slows wound healing by prolonging inflammation, encouraging wound dehiscence, and increasing scarring. Addressing wound infection should always be the priority of a wound care specialist.

To learn more about managing the factors that affect wound healing, and all aspects of wound care, wound certification can be effective and highly beneficial. As well as demonstrating your commitment to the area, a certification in wound care offers you a better understanding of the pathophysiology of wounds, improving your day-to-day treatment practices.

Learn More With Our Wound Care Education Options

Interested in learning more about wound care and certification? Browse through our wound care certification courses for information on our comprehensive range of education options to suit healthcare professionals across the full spectrum of qualifications and experience.

References

Myers BA. Wound management principles and practice. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2008.

Categories: Wound Types

About the Author

Laurie Swezey's avatar

Laurie Swezey, founder and president of WoundEducators.com, has been a Registered Nurse for more than a quarter century, with most of those years dedicated to wound treatment. Ms. Swezey is a Certified Wound Care Nurse and a Certified Wound Specialist.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    April 14, 2010 at 10:55 pm

    Do you have any suggestions for more help to pass the WCC exam. Any place I can get practice questions,books to buy ect??

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Free Preview!

Sign up for our newsletter and enjoy a Free Preview of our Wound Care Certification Course!

Support Our “Where There’s a Wound, There’s a Way!™” Foundation

fundraiser logo

Join our “Where There’s a Wound, There’s a Way!™” fundraising campaign  Learn more

Payment Information

All major credit cards & PayPal accepted. All transactions are performed via a SSL secure server to ensure your privacy.

payments accepted visa mastercard amex discover paypal

Copyright © 2009-2021 WoundEducators.com
Wound Care Certification Courses | Risk Free Guarantee | Terms and Policies

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT