Why You Shouldn’t Ignore a Slow-Healing Wound

If you have a wound that isn’t healing like it should, pay attention to it. Slow healing could indicate an infection or another sign that you need care to help your body heal.

Your body’s ability to heal wounds is a marvel. Normally, you get cut or scraped, and your body springs into action, clotting your blood and sending nutrients and oxygen to the injury site. Specialized cells build new tissue.

In three months, that wound should be 80% as strong as it was pre-injury. At least, that’s the case if everything goes normally. If a wound isn’t repairing itself as it should, it probably needs medical attention.

That’s why Kenneth Warrick, MD, FAAD, offers dedicated wound care at Atlantic Dermatology in Longs, South Carolina. Dr. Warrick applies his expertise to accomplish two purposes: figuring out what’s causing your slow healing and supporting the area so your body can repair it.

Why should you see Dr. Warrick for a slow-healing wound? Let’s find out.

What’s behind slow-healing wounds

Usually, if a wound is slow to heal, it’s because the blood supply to the area isn’t delivering what your body needs to do the healing work.

A number of lifestyle factors and health conditions can impact circulation and, consequently, wound healing. Some of the biggest drivers of slow-healing wounds include:

Diabetes
High blood pressure
Smoking
Obesity
Vascular disease

That said, an underlying condition isn’t always to blame. Sometimes, your wound is simply too large to heal without medical intervention. In other cases, the wound may be in a problematic area like your foot. Walking around throughout your day can continually exacerbate your wound, making it harder for your body to heal.

In any case, if your wound isn’t healing normally, it’s time to see Dr. Warrick. Slow-healing wounds have a higher risk of infection, taking the situation from bad to worse.

What to do about wounds that won’t heal

At Atlantic Dermatology, Dr. Warrick assesses your wound and overall health. He might also use diagnostic tools like:

Biopsy
Blood test
Tissue swab

His goal is to determine why your wound isn’t healing as it should so he can target treatment based on what your body needs. If diabetes is impacting your circulation and slowing your healing, for example, Dr. Warrick recommends taking steps to control your blood sugar. At the same time, he can care for your wound to help it heal.

If your wound is infected, he may prescribe medication to fight the infection. At the same time, he’ll show you how to properly care for and protect your wound to help it heal.

In some cases, your wound may need further medical intervention to heal. Dr. Warrick has a variety of options he can tap, including:

Debridement to remove problematic tissue and clean your wound
Stitches to close your wound
Skin grafts to cover your open wound

If you have a slow-healing wound, it might not get better on its own, and you risk infection while you wait. To figure out what’s causing the issue and get the care you need to heal, call our office or use our online booking feature to schedule an appointment today.