How to heal open wounds faster

Skin Care article posted on Mar 28, 2009 by Joséphine Beck, Digestive Care Advisor & Optiderma Founding member

To speed the wound healing process, you need to understand what is involved in wound healing. There are three phases: the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases. What happens in the healing process is a growth of millions of tiny blood vessels producing new capillaries. Wound edges are then pulled together and in the last phase, new collagen forms. Time may heal all wounds. But to encourage this to happen faster, there are several things that can be done.

How to heal open wounds faster? First aid guidelines...
Fastest and safest wound treatments? Natural remedies...
Natural ways to heal an open wound? Nutrition...
Interview with Danny O'Rawe, N.D.: all about cuts and essential oils
Other articles on cuts, wounds and scrapes
Useful external links on wounds

How to heal open wounds faster? First aid guidelines...

Most wounds do not require emergency medical treatment. However, watch for signs of severity.
If the wound is either too deep, infected, if you can’t control the bleeding, if there are still remaining debris after cleaning or if the wound is located on sensitive skin, medical wound care is usually much needed. You may also need steri strips or sutures to help close the wound and heal faster. Check these links to make sure your open wound is minor before starting self treatment: when to call your doctor or when to go to the hospital.

For any open wound, your main focus should be to reduce the bleeding and avoid infection by applying pressure on the wound.
Next wrap a sterile and absorbent cloth (or a compress) around it.
To reduce bleeding, you can also raise the injured part above the level of the heart.
When the bleeding is controlled, an ice pack wrapped in a towel can be applied until it begins to feel numb. This helps constrict blood vessels.

To clean the wound, rinse it out with clear water. Do not use soap because it can irritate the wound, so try to keep it out of the actual wound. Wound cleaning reduces the risk of infection and tetanus.

Fastest and safest wound treatments? Natural remedies...

In case of superficial open wounds, there are many natural remedies that can be used to help fight against the infection and regenerate new cells.

Colloidal silver to avoid further infection

Colloidal silver helps kill bacteria without damaging newly forming skin cells. It does not sting or burn. Other antiseptics sting when applied to a wound because they are killing the surrounding wall tissue cells. Colloidal silver does not harm the surrounding cells or tissue. Use a spray and sprinkle the colloidal silver over the affected area.

Herbal remedies and essential oils

If infection is still likely to happen, it is best to avoid applying aloe vera or any essential oils on the wound at this stage. Essential oils, such as tea tree or clove oil, provide excellent treatment to heal faster when infection is unlikely. Comfrey or calendula ointments can also be used topically.

Other tips to heal open wounds faster

Wounds heal faster if there is no pressure on them and if they are kept relatively motionless. Movement disrupts the formation of the new blood vessels.
Bandages keep the wound clean, keep harmful bacteria out, and maintain moisture to prevent your skin from drying out. Bandages should be changed daily. However, after the wound has healed enough to make infection unlikely, exposure to the air will speed wound healing.

Natural ways to heal an open wound? Nutrition...

Nutrition is definitely something to focus on. Whereas good nutrition facilitates healing, malnutrition can delay, inhibits and complicate the process.

Protein is required as part of the inflammatory process, in the immune response and in the development of tissue.
The amino acid arginine is also important because it is abundant in the structure of collagen.
Carbohydrates are needed for a healthy inflammatory response.
Essential fatty acids are essential for skin membrane function. However, some studies show that fish oil supplements could slow down wound healing (article from news-medical.net). Omega-3s from fish oil are anti-inflammatory, but you might want to avoid it for a while.
Vitamin B, E, A, C, zinc and copper play key roles in wound healing.

Nuts, seeds, polyunsaturated oils such as flax, olive, or hemp oil, whole grains and beans should be part of your diet. Eat vegetables and fruits to get plenty of vitamins and minerals.

A wound Diet Supplementation can also help heal faster. A study (Rohrich's study) shows that taking a herbal supplement called InflammEnz can heal a wound 20% faster. This herbal product combines several antioxidants, nutrients and enzymes, including calcium and potassium. But there are four in particular that are suspected of boosting the healing process : vitamin C, bromelain, rutin, and grape seed extract. See this article: supplement speed wound healing.

Interview with Danny O'Rawe, N.D.: all about cuts and essential oils

How to use essential oils to heal a cut: Essential oils have properties that have been applied in traditional medicine since ancient times and are still widely used today for the treatment of a variety of problems, including cuts. Danny O'Rawe has spent over 30 years working with plants, practicing as a Herbalist, Naturopath and Aromatherapist. Read what he has to say about aromatherapy and the way to use essential oils to heal cuts.

Useful external links on wounds

Wounds (wikipedia.com)
Wound care (sphemerg.ca: Saint Paul's emergency hospital department)

If you think this article may be useful for others and want to link to it, please use the following format: Beck, Josephine. "How to heal open wounds faster" Optiderma.com. March 28, 2009. http://www.optiderma.com/en/they-talk-about-it/skin-articles/how-to-heal-open-wounds-faster.html

How to heal open wounds faster? Share your own experience with us by writing a comment!

Comments from the community (15)

"melissa2012" on 2012-08-08 at 23:16:28

Raw Organic Honey on the wound then bandage, the honey turns into a natural peroxide that your body can deal with and the honey covering (use alot) will replace the usual scab which causes the scar. Raw honey is now used in the best burn treatment centers because nothing beats it in the medical industry. Who ever said to put glue on a wound is misguided. The wound only heals faster with glue or other poisons because your body is trying extra hard to stop from being poisoned in the wounded area. Please learn some science before recommending poison to heal a wound.

"Me" on 2012-06-25 at 16:38:00

I am a self harmer and I put olive oil on my cuts, now they heal MUCH faster!

"LondonGirl" on 2012-02-17 at 02:42:45

Sudocrem is pretty useful to have around. It doesn't sting and it has many uses. Probably only best for minor wounds though. It has a high Zinc content - a mineral known for its healing qualities.

"wise guy" on 2011-12-16 at 03:43:01

lemon juice should be applied before the warm NaCl solution for ultimate recovery. Also, urinating on your cuts has been described in many old Japanese healing books.

"Kate" on 2011-11-17 at 22:57:01

Aloe is a very effective treatment for damaged skin, helping new cells to form, and accelerating the healing process. Aloe prevents blistering, scarring, and infection, and provides instant pain relief. For more info on using Aloe including how to harvest the fresh stuff, visit: http://www.aloeplant.info

"ThatGirlWithABadKitty" on 2011-11-12 at 16:43:32

My cat was feeling playful and he had his toy mouse. I was swinging it in the air and boom! He clawed my face. 1) Use some HiBi Scrub, available from chemists, with warm water to make sure the cut is clean. 2) Apply a tad of cocoa butter onto the wound 3) When cocoa butter is dried in, use Savlon to avoid infection 4) About a day later, apply olive oil 3 times a day to the cut and see it fade! My "cat accident" happened less than 36 hours ago, and already its almost at the "scar" stage! It completely missed being a scab! And the funny thing is, I have it caked in concealer. Also to get rid of scars - 1) drink plenty of water 2) Moisturize and cleanse 2 times every day 3) Use a face scrub and a face mask 3 times each week 4) Keep using olive oil, but only twice a day and you'll be on the mend! (:

"oRelly?" on 2011-11-04 at 00:00:00

Apparently if you get chill and rub it against your wound it will burn for a few minutes but then it will heal EXTREMELY quickly because the chill makes the brain think that there is a more serious injurer but it isn't and therefore you skin will heal up A LOT quicker. @dickless guy I think you should go see a doctor or rub some chilly on your penis.

"Maliche" on 2011-11-03 at 16:38:26

cut myself about 1 inch across and 1 inch down on the back of my hand (almost straight through but not quite) it was bad but i didnt wanna pay to get it stitched up. about 1 Tbs of salt (a little mound) then bandaged over the wound, it helped a lot (i did this 2 days after the cut did not get any better). i do believe this makes it heal faster and leaves more of a scar, but too each his own.

"billybigspuds" on 2011-10-22 at 08:52:33

"this guy" yes. warm water with a bit of table salt will do the trick

"fwkfwf" on 2011-09-16 at 18:50:51

I have very strong eczema... always peeling and wounding..... what would be best for me..??? these steroids are just making it thinner.... also it often appears on spots that I have to make use to moe.... like my elbows or behind my knees..... please sent me an email... rahulsanjayahir@yahoo.de ............ thanks a lot

"worried sis" on 2011-09-14 at 19:02:43

my bro feel and hit his head on metal and he has a wound dont think this will help plz give advice

"this guy" on 2011-08-24 at 01:46:43

what about a wound that is no longer open its it just a scab is there anything to mkae that heal faster

"Clumsy Cat" on 2011-08-18 at 08:15:07

Interesting! So many remedies to make wounds heal faster, I will definitely give these a try. Thanks!

"Green Mommy" on 2011-03-24 at 19:54:25

Collodial Silver is a must in everyone's home. It sure helps with any kind of infection. A collodial silver gel can be purchase for cuts and a liquid form for general infections as they are natural antibodies. When in doubt just take collodial silver!!

"TENNISGAL" on 2010-06-28 at 23:35:30

COOL this made my cut heal like a milli times faster!! Also OLIVE OIL help!!

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