Treatments

All wounds heal in the same way. First, new red tissue builds up in the bottom. Then new skin grows in from the edges and covers the red tissue. Your wound will heal fastest if you create the best conditions for new tissue to grow. This means keeping your wound clean, warm, and moist.

Having a wound puts extra demands on your body. To heal, you need more calories and more nutrients. Wounds heal faster if you get enough of the right foods — and if you don’t, they heal more slowly.

A suction drain is a device that gently pulls fluid from your body. It’s used to prevent extra fluid from building up in your body after surgery or if you have an infection.

If you’ve had a traumatic injury, you may have skin wounds — bruises, scrapes, or cuts. (Cuts may be called “lacerations” by your doctor.) Cuts are treated based on where they are, what caused them, how deep they are, and other factors. Sometimes cuts will heal on their own, without extra treatment. Or, the Trauma Service might have treated them with sutures (stitches), staples, plastic bandages, or dermabond (a type of surgical “super glue”). This fact sheet explains how to care for your wounds at home.