Healing

Healing is the process of the restoration of health from an unbalanced, diseased, damaged or unvitalized organism. The result of healing can be a cure to a health challenge, but one can heal without being cured. The profession of nursing has been traditionally concerned with matters of healing, whereas historically the profession of medicine has been concerned with curing. With physical damage or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repair of living tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of normal functioning. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area and replace it with new living tissue. The replacement can happen in two ways: by regeneration in which the necrotic cells are replaced by new cells that form similar tissue as was originally there; or by repair in which injured tissue is replaced with scar tissue. Most organs will heal using a mixture of both mechanisms.

Types of Healing

Primary Healing

In primary healing, there is minimal tissue loss, such as a clean surgical incision. The wound edges are brought close together (approximated) and therefore, there is minimal or no scar formation.

Secondary Healing

In secondary healing, there is a significant tissue loss, for example, a burn, deep ulcer or a wide surgical incision. In this type of healing, the body cannot bring the wound edges together; hence, the healing occurs by filling up of the wound with granulation tissues. Consequently, a significant scar is formed.

Tertiary Healing

Tertiary healing, also known as delayed primary closure or secondary suture, involves cleaning the wound and suturing it at a later date, usually 4-5 days later. It is used for contaminated wounds to allow time for infection to settle before closure of the wound.

Factors Affecting Healing

Several factors can affect the healing process, including but not limited to the patient's overall health status, the presence of pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, the type and extent of the injury, the immediate care provided for the injury, and the patient's nutrition.

See Also

• Regeneration (biology)
• Scar
• Wound healing

Healing Resources
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