Why Won’t My Wound Heal?

Whether you have a cut, a blister, or a scratch on your foot, you expect that if you follow basic wound care, the wound will heal. But what does it mean when you apply bandages and antibiotic cream without any improvement? If your wounds aren’t healing right, it’s critical to seek medical intervention, but your specific treatments vary depending on the cause of your slow-healing wounds.

Board-certified podiatrist Albert Elhiani, DPM, shares five reasons that wounds may be slow to heal 一 and what you can do about it.

1. Poor circulation

Oxygen is an essential part of your body’s natural wound healing process. Oxygen plays a role in cell proliferation, angiogenesis (growing new blood vessels), and protein synthesis 一 all of these work together to help improve tissue function. Problems arise if you have poor circulation. Poor circulation means less blood flow to the wound, which delays healing.

Poor circulation is a common compilation of diabetes, which is why slow-healing wounds (ulcers) are common in individuals with diabetes. If you have diabetes, daily foot inspections are essential. Look for any signs of blisters, cuts, or scrapes and address them immediately.

1. Ongoing infection

In addition to poor circulation, your wound may not heal if you still have an active infection. Although you may be bandaging your wound, it’s difficult to treat without the right antibiotics if an infection sets it. Signs of an active infection include increasing redness, swelling, pus, a foul odor, and a fever.

If the infection becomes severe and grows deep into your skin 一 condition known as cellulitis 一 you may also notice bumps and dimpling on your skin.

1. Edema

Edema (swelling) can also inhibit proper wound healing processes. Edema, a common symptom of lymphoma and cellulitis, can delay healing. If you have edema, you must also address the swelling in order to treat the wound properly.

1. Insufficient nutrition

Your body uses many micronutrients to help heal wounds. This includes arginine, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and iron.  If your diet isn’t well-balanced, any deficiency in these nutrients could contribute to poor wound healing.

1. Repetitive trauma to the wound

Another reason why your wound isn’t healing is if the area is repeatedly injured. For instance, if you have a blister from an ill-fitting pair of shoes but continue to wear them, it’s hard for the area on your foot to heal before it’s reinjured.

Get help for slow-healing wounds

Regardless of the underlying factors contributing to a slow-healing wound, it’s essential to get the care you need. If left untreated, slow-healing wounds can lead to infections, gangrene, and even worse, amputations.

Here at Eazy Foot & Ankle in the Pico Robertson area of Los Angeles, California, our team offers many treatments for wounds, including oral and topical antibiotics, surgery, and precision medicine therapy.

Don’t ignore the signs of a slow-healing wound. Call our Los Angeles, California, office at 424-375-6348 or use our online portal to make an appointment today.