Wound Healing Can Be Affected Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors

Wound Healing Can Be Affected Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors

A diversity of factors can measured down or impairs the wound healing process. These can be due to intrinsic, extrinsic, social factors or psychological (or a combination of these). All of these factors should be well thought-out when assessing patients with wounds.

Nutritional status

Wound and healing requires an adequate deliver of micronutrients and macro Deficiencies that can result in deprived wound healing, wound dehiscence, reduced tensile strength, and increased vulnerability to infection and poor quality scars. During the proliferative phase, epithelialisation, granulation and contraction all occur quicker in a humid environment. Therefore, the patient should not become dehydrated (Pinzur & Stuck, 2003).Wound Healing Example Paper

Age

In increasing age, many processes get slow down. The inflammatory response reduced; therefore, the risk of infection increased. Structural changes in the skin may direct to impair increased risk of wound infection and healing in the elderly: changes in elastic fibers; decreased vascularity; epidermal thinning; reduction in function and number of sweat glands; reduced production of mast cells; decreased type III collagen.

Collagen metabolism reduced extremely due to condensed fibroblast proliferation making the scar more breakable. There is less support for blood vessels, so making them more prone to damage. It is likely that other medical problem, which are common in the elderly, slow down the healing process more than age itself (Ohio State University, 2004).Wound Healing Example Paper

The skin’s barrier system is less effective in the pre-term neonate. Their skin is also very susceptible to trauma due to a poorly developed stratum corneum and epidermal-dermal instability.

Drugs

There is a variety of drugs that can impair the healing process, for example:

Corticosteroids and non-steroidal inflammatory drugs decrease the standard inflammatory response. Corticosteroids obstruct the healing process by putting the synthesis of collagen and fibroblasts and slowing down epithelialisation. There is also a reduction in DNA synthesis. Long term use of corticosteroids can cause thinning of the skin.Wound Healing Example Paper