A non-healing wound is a wound that is neither showing signs of improvement in 4 weeks nor healing in 8 weeks. They normally come in different forms including diabetic ulcers, venom wounds, pressure ulcers and non-healing surgical wounds.
The major concern when having a non-healing wound is the possibility of getting infected by bacteria. Bacteria such as pseudomonas are present around us, in the air, on our skin and on other surfaces that we come in contact with every day. However, the bacteria do not have an effect on you when you have a healthy skin. However, they can cause an infection through skin lesions and wounds. The consequences of that could be illness and in the worst case scenario, loss of limb.
The symptoms
When you have a wound that is not healing, you will have the following symptoms;
- Pain in the wound area,
- Pus oozing from the wound,
- Redness around the wound,
- Odor from the wound area.
Non healing wound normally presents itself in areas of the body such as legs, ankles, knees, hands and abdominal regions save for the case of surgery wounds, which occurs on surgical areas.
How to care for the wound
If you are having a difficult wound that won’t just go away, it is important to put in place measures that will not only ensure that the wounds are clean to avoid infections but also, promote healing. They include:
- Take care of wounds and cuts as soon as they develop. It is important to take care of wounds at an early stage so as to avoid infections. This is to prevent bacteria from building up and causing infections.
- Clean the area around the wound. It is very important to clean a wound under running water. However, you should try as much as possible to avoid using detergents as they can cause irritation. Also, use an antibiotic to kill bacteria before wrapping the wound with a bandage. You should clean the wound and change the bandage regularly.
- Visit a doctor. It is very important to visit a doctor when having non healing wound to get treatment before things get worse. Normally, it is easier to treat wounds at an early stage before they develop into something bigger. The doctor will give further professional advice and probably prescribe additional medication to use.
- Keep pressure off the wound. With non-healing wound, it is important to give them space to heal on their own. Putting pressure or rubbing the wound won’t do any good. Wear loose clothes that do not interfere with the wound and if possible do not sit or stand on the wound. If the wound is on your foot, keep pressure off it as much as possible.
Avoiding getting a wound is the best way to avoid skin infections. However, if it happens that you develop one, take good care of it by cleaning and seeking medication and you will keep bacteria at bay.
This article is written by Maria Smith. She likes to be informed and share her knowledge about the new trends in the health and medicine.
