Skin crusting and itching

When a wound is caused by trauma to the skin, it should be cleaned promptly to avoid leaving scars. However, if the wound is too large, it will be difficult to avoid leaving scars. Skin scabs and itching are also common, and most people will think that the itching is because the wound is about to heal, so you should pay more attention to protecting it and avoid bumping into this part. Only when the wound heals well will there be no scars.

1. Why does a wound itch unbearably when it heals? Is it true, as the elders say, that itching means the wound is about to heal?

Before discussing this issue, we need to understand the wound healing process.

Wound healing typically proceeds through three phases:

a. The first stage is coagulation and hemostasis. When bleeding occurs, the first cells to rush to the scene are platelets. Platelets not only help stop bleeding, but also send signals to other cells saying "my body is injured, come and help."

b. The second stage is the process of white blood cells gathering in the wound, which deals with infections such as bacteria and viruses. (The picture shows white blood cells engulfing foreign matter.)

c. The third stage is the hyperplasia stage, which is commonly known as the "growing flesh" stage. At this stage, the originally damaged wound will grow some "new flesh" to fill the damaged area. This "new flesh" becomes connective tissue, and the skin nerves, blood vessels, etc. that were originally broken due to the injury will also grow into the "new flesh".

Itching also occurs at this stage. This is because the newly born nerves are particularly sensitive and will feel itchy when they are slightly stimulated. At this time, the blood vessels are also growing rapidly, and they squeeze each other, making it particularly itchy. However, nerves are only involved in the healing process in the final stage, so when the wound is itchy, it often indicates that the wound will heal quickly. After the wound has healed completely, the new nerves will become less sensitive to stimulation and you will no longer feel itchy.

2. Do all wounds itch when they heal?

In fact, only wounds that damage the dermis will itch during healing, while wounds on the superficial epidermis will not itch during healing.

Our skin is divided into the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin. It not only has the stratum corneum (the layer we "rub" in our daily life), but also the basal layer. The cells in this layer have strong vitality and can continuously grow and reproduce. The shallow wounds caused by epidermal damage are healed by the basal layer. During this process, no nerves are affected, so there will be no itching, and there will be no scars after the healing process.

3. The wound is too itchy, but I can’t scratch it. What should I do?

Itching of the wound is a normal phenomenon and generally does not require special treatment. Be careful to avoid scratching, rubbing with clothes, and washing the wound with hot water to prevent wound infection and delay wound healing. During the wound healing process, especially for postoperative patients, more attention should be paid to diet. Avoid eating irritating foods such as onions and garlic. Eat more green vegetables and fruits to help wound healing. If you really can't help it, you can use a clean cotton swab dipped in hot water and wipe the area around the wound, which is the so-called "using heat to relieve itching", or do something to distract your attention. But the best anti-itch medicine is still - time.