ABSTRACT
Cutaneous wound healing is a well-orchestrated cascade of events. These events lead to repair when the underlying dermis is compromised, while alternatively leading to regeneration when only the epidermis is injured. This process, should it occur in a timely fashion, is termed “acute wound healing” typically with restoration of skin integrity occurring a period of days to weeks. Classically, acute wound healing is considered to occur in three overlapping phases termed the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases, respectively (1). Conversely, when this process is disrupted and healing is prolonged, delayed or does not occur, the wound is termed a “chronic wound” (2). An exact time does not exist when acute wound healing becomes chronic but is rather dependent upon variables such as patient age and comorbid conditions and wound related variables such as the location of the wound, the size, depth and shape of the wound, or by what method the wound was created.
