How Advanced Wound Care Treatments Lead to Faster Recovery at the Wound Care Clinic Ventura?

How Advanced Wound Care Treatments Lead to Faster Recovery at the Wound Care Clinic Ventura?

How long a wound takes to heal factors around how large or deep the cut is. However, any acute wound that occurs in your body should heal within three weeks (on average). If it doesn’t, it’s a chronic wound. People suffer from chronic wounds such as diabetic leg ulcers or venous ulcers that take their own time to heal.
 
Unlike acute wounds that go through a normal healing process, the chronic wounds get stuck somewhere in one of the healing phases. Multiple reasons slow down the wound healing process. They include poor blood flow to the wound, infection developed in and around the wound, any underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or aging that slow down healing, repeated trauma to the area, or a combination of two or more factors.

In the US, it’s estimated that almost 6.5 million people suffer from wounds that don’t heal well.

So, if you are suffering from chronic wounds or any open wounds, fret not; a wound care specialist with their advanced wound healing treatments can help you with faster wound recovery.

What are advanced wound care treatments?

Advanced wound care is different from the old-school methods that use basic bandages and antiseptics to cure wounds. These are personalized treatments that are done based on the type of wound, the size, and the severity.

The goal of advanced wound care treatments is not just to close the wound but to improve overall healing, reduce scarring, and prevent infections that can further damage the wound.

Advanced wound care is guided by a healthcare team, including wound care specialists, and ensures that the unique needs of each person and their wound are met.

 

 

 

Different advanced wound care treatments that lead to faster recovery at the Wound Care Clinic Ventura

Advanced wound care promises some of the best and most reliable treatment for venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and other chronic wounds. The popular ones are explained below:

1. Wound debridement

Wound debridement is the process of removing the dead, damaged, or infected tissue that’s hindering the wound’s natural healing. So, this process is an important step in the wound-healing journey. This is because the process involves creating a clean and healthy wound bed that promotes the growth of new tissue and closing the wound.

Different types of wound debridement:

The dead or unwanted tissue can be removed in different ways, and your doctor might pick the right type based on your wound, age, and health condition and check for any risk for complications.

Biological debridement

This is a natural process where sterile maggots are used. These maggots eat only the wound’s old or dead tissues. While they feast on the dead tissues, they secrete enzymes and antimicrobial agents that help in wound cleaning.

The maggots are directly placed on the wound or in a mesh bag while dressing and left untouched for 24 to 72 hours. This is replaced twice a week.

If you can’t be treated with surgical debridement due to your health condition or dealing with a wound that’s large and heavily infected by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, this method is opted.

Enzymatic debridement

Also known as chemical debridement, here topical enzymes collected from a plant, animal, or bacteria are used to break down necrotic tissue without harming healthy tissue. So, the enzymes are applied to the wound, and dressing is done. When the dressing is removed, it also removes the dead tissue along with it. This method is recommended for treating smaller wounds.

Autolytic debridement

This debridement type uses your body’s enzymes and natural fluids to soften the old, dead tissues, that swell up, and get separated from the wound. So, this gets removed with the help of moisture-retaining dressing. Autolytic debridement is opted for treating noninfected and pressure wounds.

Mechanical debridement

One of the most common types of wound debridement is mechanical debridement.

Different types include:

• Hydrotherapy uses running water on the wound to wash the old or dead tissues.
• Wet-to-dry dressing means a wet gauze is applied directly to the wound, the dead tissue sticks to the wound, and it is finally removed.
• Monofilament debridement pads are gently added across the wound. While removing it, the bad tissue or wound debris gets stuck to the pads and gets removed.

Surgical debridement

As the name insists, this is performed by a surgeon and is effective for treating large wounds that are infected with extensive necrotic tissue. It requires anesthesia, especially for deep wounds or sensitive areas.

How does debridement promote faster wound healing?

The dead tissues, dirt, and debris on the wound trap bacteria and can form pus that leads to infections. Plus, the dead tissues stop new tissues from growing. So when it is removed, naturally, the wound starts healing. Removing the dead tissues from the wound regularly keeps the wound area clean and promotes healing.

If you are looking for effective chronic wound treatment in Ventura, visit our Center for Advanced Wound Care which offers advanced wound care treatment to help stubborn wounds heal faster.

2. Negative pressure wound therapy

This is a traditional method that’s been put into use since the 1990s.

Usually, a wound that’s taking a while to heal contains fluid and bacteria growth. So, a vacuum is used to suck the fluid in the negative pressure wound therapy.

What exactly happens in the procedure is:

• The wound is made clean of any dead or infected tissue and dried.
• Next, a special foam pad is either placed directly on or in the wound and covered with a film that lets fluid through it.
• Then, an airtight seal is made around it using see-through tape.
• In this setup, now a suction tube is placed on top, and the fluid is drained out by applying negative pressure.

How does negative pressure therapy help heal wounds faster?

When the fluid is removed, it reduces the wound’s swelling and makes it smaller and shrink. This lets new healthy tissue grow in a clean environment.

Plus, this therapy improves healing by reducing swelling and inflammation and improving blood flow to the wound.

Post the procedure, the dressings are changed, and it is ensured that the treated wound is tightly sealed.

3. Bioengineered skin grafts

Bioengineered skin grafts are substitutes for natural skin and are used to treat wounds that require help to heal. For instance, for people dealing with chronic wounds, severe burns, and surgical wounds, these grafts can help. They create a safe and supportive environment for new skin to grow.

How do they work?

Your skin consists of two primary layers, such as the epidermal layer and the dermal layer. The epidermal, being the outermost layer, acts as a barrier against external threats like germs and dirt. Meanwhile, the dermal layer supports the growth of new tissues. Each layer plays a role in wound healing.

Bioengineered skin grafts made from biological or synthetic materials try to mimic this protective function. They let water vapor transmission be similar to normal skin. So, they just don’t cover the wound but actively participate in the healing process of the wounds.

How do bioengineered skin grafts promote faster healing?

Bioengineered skin grafts act as natural skin and promote faster wound closure and healing. They also cut down the risk of infection from developing in the wound with their protective barrier.

By minimizing scarring by encouraging more natural tissue regeneration, they tend to reduce the need for donor skin in cases of extensive injuries. Plus, they are super flexible and easily conform to irregular wound surfaces.

This is why bioengineered skin grafts play a big role in advanced wound care.

Wound biopsy

If your chronic wound is delaying its healing even after certain procedures, then wound biopsy for wound healing is recommended.

A wound biopsy is a medical procedure where the tissues collected from the wound are sent for testing to understand better why it isn’t healing properly.

Types of wound biopsies:

There are different ways in which a small sample of skin is taken to be tested in a lab.

First, the area around the wound is cleaned and sterilized. Local anesthesia is given to ensure the procedure is painless. Next, the wound tissue is collected using either method.

Shave biopsy: A razor-like tool is used to scrape off the top layers of your wound.

Punch biopsy: A round-tipped cutting tool removes the wound’s small core, including deeper layers. Then, stitches are done to close the wound.

Excisional biopsy: An entire lump of the wound or the irregular skin is removed using a scalpel. Again, stitches are done to close the wound.

Why is a wound biopsy done?

A wound biopsy can provide important information about chronic wounds, infections, or other complications such as systemic conditions such as poor circulation and diabetes slowing down the healing process.

Besides diagnosing the underlying cause, the wound biopsy can provide valuable insights based on which you can adjust antibiotics and address systemic health issues to help heal the wound faster.

Are you a resident in Ventura who is dealing with a chronic or non-healing wound for a long time? We recommend getting a wound biopsy in Ventura to help diagnose the underlying cause and guide effective treatment.

 

Final Words

The deeper, larger, and more infected the wound is, the more care should be given to healing it fast. Advanced wound care treatments at the Advanced Wound Care Clinic in Ventura are designed to address the challenges you are facing from non-healing wounds with utmost care.

Rest assured, you are receiving cutting-edge care that aims to restore your health and quality of life as quickly and safely as possible.