If you have undergone or must undergo surgery, you should bear in mind that something significant is the issues around the healing of the wound. The conditions in which you arrive at the surgery and your habits, the medication you take, the type of surgery, and the possible complications are essential when defining how long it takes for a surgical wound to heal.
If you want to know how healing occurs after surgery, how long it may take for your wound to heal, and how to make it take as little time as possible, then continue reading this FastlyHealarticle.
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How do surgical wounds heal?
The wounds that occur in surgery are generally planned; that is, the operator knows how to make the incision before making it. In this way, when the surgery is finished, the wound’s edges can stick together, making healing easier.
When the edges of a wound are next to each other, substances begin to arrive that help them to “stick” and, thus, what is known as first-intention healing begins.
If for some reason, the edges are not entirely united, in the middle of the two, another type of material begins to accumulate (called granulation tissue), which will help to close the wound but will take longer to do so.
Certain factors make a wound heal more slowly and not quite well; these are:
- Very extensive surgery.
- Degree of contamination from the surgery: it has to do with the area that is operated on and whether or not there is infection (a breast surgery is clean while the opening of an abscess is dirty).
- A wound that opens because at some point that closed, it comes out.
- Surgery after an accident.
- Infection.
- The reaction of the Skin to the spots.
- Seroma (accumulation of fluid in the wound).
- Smoking
- Obesity or malnutrition.
- Diabetes.
- Low defenses (HIV, taking corticosteroids, immunosuppressive treatments, among others).
How long does it take for a surgical wound to heal?
As has been seen, many factors can delay the healing of a surgical wound. However, recovery will be fast if the conditions are optimal: the patient is in good condition, previously healthy, not taking medication, taking care of his wound, respecting rest, if the surgical area is clean and there are no infections or wound complications.
Usually, given these characteristics, a wound takes between 7 to 10 days to heal. If the damage is more extensive and involves deep structures, healing can take about 21 days.
The longer it takes for a scar to form, the greater the chances of infection, which ultimately creates a vicious cycle that, in turn, will slow healing even further.
Tips to Speed Up Surgical Wound Healing
There are some measures that you must take into account if you undergo surgery since if you follow them, it is very likely that your healing will be good and it will take as little time as possible:
- Stop smoking: the ideal is that 30 days before the surgery, the cigarette is already suspended since it takes a specific time for the body to regain a certain capacity for healing lost due to chronic intoxication with tobacco.
- Healthy eating: the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and seeds gives the body all the vitamins and minerals so that the tissues are quickly restored.
- Daily cures: it is essential to keep the wound clean, for which it is essential to follow the instructions of the person who has operated on you, since depending on the type of surgery, the place of the surgery, its depth, and the experience of your doctor, there are different techniques for healing.
- Go to the postoperative controls: the permanent assessment of the surgical specialist is critical since you will be able to quickly see the presence of complications (infection, separation of the wound, seroma …).
- Avoid exposing yourself to the sun or heat: excessive heat and radiation from the sun favor inflammation in the surgical wound, so you should avoid them so that it heals in the best way. In addition, it is essential that, once it has healed, you cover the wound from the sun (clothing, sunscreen) for a year, as the scar can take on a dark color.
- Avoid moving the operated area: if you move the site that has been operated on, the Skin and surrounding tissues can “pull” the wound and make it difficult to form the scar.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.