The restoration to a normal mental or physical condition, esp. of an inflammation or a wound. Tissue healing usually occurs in predictable stages:

• Blood clot formation at the wound

• Inflammatory phase (during which plasma proteins enter the injured part)

• Cellular repair (with an influx of fibroblasts and mesenchymal cells)

• Regrowth of blood vessels (angiogenesis)

• Synthesis and revision of collagen fibers (scar formation)

In skin lesions, regrowth of epithelial tissues also occurs. The many processes involved in the healing of a wound take 3 weeks or more to complete. Many factors may delay tissue healing, including malnutrition, wound infection, and coexisting conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus, advanced age, tobacco abuse, cancer), as well as the use of several drugs, including corticosteroids.

Figure: WOUND HEALING





COMPLICATIONS
These may result from the formation of a scar that interferes with the functioning of a part and possible deformity; the formation of a keloid, the result of overgrowth of connective tissue forming a tumor in the surface of a scar; necrosis of the skin and mucous membrane that produces a raw surface, which results in an ulcer; a sinus or fistula, which may be due to bacteria or some foreign substance remaining in the wound; proud flesh, which represents excessive growth of granulation tissue.

Subentries:
healing by first intention
healing by second intention
healing by third intention
holistic healing