subject: Healing Process Of Wound Causes Itching [print this page] The skin, the largest organ of the body, is the cover that protects and shields the rest of the human's vital organs. If this protective shield is broken, the process of repairing wound starts so that the skin will be back to its healthy and normal state.
Like other injuries, the best way for a wound to heal faster is to leave it alone. Scratching, picking, touching and poking it may severe the wound and leads to infection. However, this is a challenging task when the itching of wounds start to occur and, sometimes, this could be unbearable.
The wound healing process is divided into four stages which are chronological and sometimes overlapping.
1st Phase: Hemostasis - This is the stage where platelets are naturally released. The platelets then trigger the discharge of glycoprotein on the cell membranes. The platelets stick together which result to a mass. On the other hand, the fibronectin and fibrin are also generated at the site of injury. When the two joined together, it forms a plug which prevents blood loss and forms traps for particles and proteins. While waiting for the collagen to be developed and to be deposited, the plug serves as the main structural support of the wound.
2nd Phase: Inflammatory - The stage where the polymorphonuclear neutrophils appear at the site of injury in order to fight infection and get rid of the debris. This substance cleans the wound. After the neutrophils has done its job, macrophages join in the site of injury where the damaged tissue and wound debris are removed.
3rd Phase: Proliferative - The stage when the vascular endothelial cell materialize into newly-formed blood vessels. The fibroblasts mature and start excreting fibronectin and collagen. This results to the development of a makeshift extracellular matrix. At the same time, the proliferation of epithelial cells happens and later on these cells become the cover of the new tissue. At this time where all these processes have occurred, the wound is now smaller because of the myofibroblasts.
4th Phase: Maturation and re-modification - This is the stage where the collagen is re-oriented and re-modeled. As the tasks of the cells are done, they are terminated by apoptosis. Aside to the different cells, factors for growth are released as the wound repairs which further speed up the process of healing.
During the process of healing, all types of damaged cells are being replaced or repaired. Even the nerve cells are included during this healing. When the newly-repaired nerve cell starts to grow and become functional in sending and receiving signals, itching starts to happen. The area of the skin where the injury site is located is so thin compare to the undamaged skin which is thick and healthy. Thus, the newly-formed nerve cells are more sensitive and itching is more terrible.
Also, the itching could be a result of dryness. The oil glands, like the skin, are also damaged. The lack of natural oils makes the skin dry and as a result, the itching feel occurs. Some doctors believe that histamine plays a role to the itching of wounds when they are healing. Histamine is released in the inflammatory phase of the healing process.
Most wounds are harmless. It is the natural result of an injury. Bleeding may occur. Sometimes, scan forms over the site of the injury. Scabs too may form which are the hard and crusty bits. Scabs actually serve as protection of wounds against possible infection and permit the regeneration of new skin without any disturbance.
