• Question: How does skin heel?

    Asked by colebrown to Rosie, Rory, Kate, Juan, Joe on 19 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by georgerobinson, aimeeharris.
    • Photo: Juan Carlos Lopez-Baez

      Juan Carlos Lopez-Baez answered on 19 Mar 2014:


      Hi @colebrown

      That is a good intricate question you have asked there (even though it should be a simple answer). I will give you two answer; a simple one and a not as simple one:

      SIMPLE: Your skin, like your intestine and your blood, is constantly regenerating. That means that it is constantly producing new skin and getting rid of the old skin. By this process, the skin can grow back and heal after it has been damaged.

      NOT AS SIMPLE: The skin regeneration is only a small part of a complex network of signal and cell movements that happen when you injure your skin. First, within minutes, after your skin has been damaged, small cells in your blood called platelets move to the wound and together with certain proteins work to close the injured area . They do this by forming a clot around the wound, that seals it from he outside, that way avoiding any more blood from leaving your body or any more bacteria coming into your body. This clot will also protect the area and allow the new skin to grow underneath it. Soon after, your immune cells (these are the cells that protect your body from the viruses and bacteria that can cause disease) move to the damaged area and begin to fight an epic battle against the unwelcomed pathogens that have decided to get into your body through the open wound. Once all of this is done, the skin will be free to start healing itself, growing and making new skin that will cover the wound and make the wound disappear.

      If the wound has been superficial, this will only take a few days/weeks to completely heal, but if it is deeper or wider, it could lead to the formation of a scar, as the damage might be too deep and you will need more time for your body to heal the damage. Sometimes scars can disappear over time, but other times they could be there for your entire life.

      By the way, did you know that we have a new set of skin every 3-4 weeks? So in about a months time all the cells on your skin would have had been replaced with newer cells 🙂

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