Wound healing happens in stages as skin cells repair themselves. Here, learn about each stage and how long it takes to go from one to the next. The meaning of WOUND is an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (such as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues.

Understanding the Context

Wound, a break in the continuity of any bodily tissue due to an external action, typified by a cut, a bruise, or a hematoma. As wound healing takes place in all parts of the human body, this review focuses on cutaneous wound healing and highlights the classical wound healing phases. Alterations in any of these phases can promote chronic wound development and may impede wound healing. Learn what a wound is and how to care for it properly with expert tips on cleaning, dressing, infection prevention and when to seek professional wound care.

Key Insights

What Is the Best Way to Care for a Wound? 7 Expert Tips Wounds can be broadly classified as either acute or chronic based on time from initial injury and progression through normal stages of wound healing. Both wound types can further be categorized by cause of injury, wound severity/depth, and sterility of the wound bed.