Limit unhealthy foods, such as those that are high in fat, sugar, and salt. Examples include doughnuts, cookies, fried foods, candy, and regular soda. These kinds of foods are low in nutrients that are important for healing.
Wounds heal faster if they are kept warm. Try to be quick when changing dressings. Exposing a wound to the open air can drop its temperature and may slow healing for a few hours. Don't use antiseptic creams, washes or sprays on a chronic wound.
Berries. Berries are filled with nutrients and compounds that help the body to heal wounds faster than usual. They are rich in vitamin C, which aids in wound healing by stimulating the production of collagen. They also contain antioxidants and possess anti-inflammatory, antiviral and immune- supporting properties.
Hydration. Most adults need to drink 64 ounces of water a day, about eight glasses. This is especially important when healing a wound. Water is the best hydration source, but milk, juice, or tea can also help keep skin healthy as long as the drinks are not too sugary.
It also nourishes and repairs dehydrated, scarred or mature skin. - It accelerates the healing process to wounds and skin burns. Applying avocado to raw wounds helps in quick healing and also prevents scarring.
Blood-borne oxygen is essential for healing. The right balance of oxygen is also important — too much or too little and the wound won't heal correctly. Another type of blood cell, a white blood cell called a macrophage, takes on the role of wound protector. This cell fights infection and oversees the repair process.
Don't clean your wound with soap or chemicals.
Don't use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or plain soap on your wound. They can be harmful to healing skin and can slow the healing process. Instead, only clean your wound with salt water, sterile water or distilled water.
Poor Circulation
During the healing process, your body's red blood cells carry new cells to the site to begin rebuilding tissue. Poor blood circulation can slow down this process, making the wound that much longer to heal. Chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, can cause poor blood circulation.
Research into biomaterials has found that the combination of banana skin and chitosan, applied topically to a wound, provides a skin tissue “scaffold” which provides a structure for cell movement and activity. The advantages of this combination are: good biocompatibility and low toxicity.
Vitamin A, found in liver, milk and milk products, egg yolks, and fish oils, is needed for wound healing as it helps: Fight wound infection; • Develop collagen in your wound (which forms strong tissue in your wound), and it; • Keep your healed wound from opening again.
How does water help speed up recovery? Water is what helps thin the blood and move nutrients and oxygen through the body. That's why it's crucial to drink a lot of water after an injury or surgery, so that these cell-repairing nutrients can be easily brought to the recovering area.
Don't apply a topical antibiotic. Studies show that petroleum jelly is just as effective as an antibiotic ointment for non-infected wounds. Don't douse a minor wound with antiseptics like iodine or hydrogen peroxide. They're actually harmful to the skin and can delay healing.
The factors discussed include oxygenation, infection, age and sex hormones, stress, diabetes, obesity, medications, alcoholism, smoking, and nutrition. A better understanding of the influence of these factors on repair may lead to therapeutics that improve wound healing and resolve impaired wounds.
Wound healing can be delayed by factors local to the wound itself, including desiccation, infection or abnormal bacterial presence, maceration, necrosis, pressure, trauma, and edema.
While it is best to eat a variety of foods to ensure you get all the nutrients you need for wound healing, some good choices include: Foods high in minerals: oysters, spinach, nuts such as cashews, legumes such as peanuts, dairy products, black beans and lentils, bananas, and fish.
Promote Wound Healing with Good Nutrition
Choose vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, such as broccoli or strawberries. For adequate zinc, choose fortified grains and protein foods, such as beef, chicken, seafood or beans. Some wounds may require a higher intake of certain vitamins and minerals to support healing.
Whey protein contains all the essential and non-essential amino acids and is an excellent source of glutamine and branched-chain amino acids, which are necessary for cell growth [36]. Thus, whey contains high levels of amino acids that are important for wound healing.
Tissue repair and regeneration within the body are influenced by vitamin C. A critical role of vitamin C is the synthesis of connective tissue, particularly collagen [1]. It also provides tensile strength to new collagen formed which would otherwise be unable to stretch without tearing [1].