skinjuries and healing

Question 1

why was skin made to heal?

Answer 1

to prevent microorganisms from entering the broken barrier

Question 2

what does the speed of which skin heals depend on?

Answer 2

the type of injury and whether it is parallel or perpendicular to the lines of cleavage

Question 3

what are acute injuries?

Answer 3

injuries that tend to heal quickly and are without complications

Question 4

what are chronic injuries?

Answer 4

injuries that take longer to heal and usually have complications associated with them

Question 5

how are burns caused?

Answer 5

when the skin comes in contact with extreme temperature differences, radiation, chemicals, or electricity

Question 6

describe first-degree burns

Answer 6

• more superficial and only affects the epidermis
• quick healing and no scars
• redness, pain, and swelling

Question 7

describe second-degree burns

Answer 7

• affects the epidermis and some of the dermis (but not blood vessels or neurons)
• minimal scarring
• redness, pain, swelling, formation of blisters

Question 8

describe third-degree burns

Answer 8

• affects epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis
• destroys blood vessels and neurons
• lots of scarring
• blackened and numbed skin
• highly susceptible to infections and gangrene

Question 9

describe lacerations. do they scar?

Answer 9

caused by blunt force trauma; tends to scar due to jagged edges left by the injury

Question 10

describe incisions. do they scar?

Answer 10

caused by clean cuts made by tools; scarring varies due to the lines of cleavage

Question 11

describe abrasions. do they scar?

Answer 11

occur when the skin is sanded or scraped off; usually no scarring if it isn’t too deep

Question 12

describe avulsions. do they scar?

Answer 12

occurs when the skin gets peeled off; usually the skin can be reattached and scarring can occur

Question 13

describe punctures. do they scar?

Answer 13

occurs when a sharp object is stabbed into the body; small scars may occur as the wound is deeper than wide (which can also raise the risk of infection)

Question 14

what is stage one of the healing process? when does it begin?

Answer 14

inflammatory response; immediately after the injury occurs

Question 15

what happens during inflammation?

Answer 15

the skin gets red and swells (due to more blood flow), the skin feels warm to the touch (to kill pathogens), sends pain stimuli

Question 16

what happens during inflammation?

Answer 16

the skin gets red and swells (due to more blood flow), the skin feels warm to the touch (to kill pathogens), and sends pain stimuli

Question 17

what is the purpose of inflammation?

Answer 17

to isolate the injured area and to bring in cells and materials to clear out microorganisms and begin healing

Question 18

what is stage two of the healing process?

Answer 18

clotting

Question 19

describe the process of clotting

Answer 19

platelets in the blood are activated to form a clot that will stop the bleeding and form a scab to protect what’s underneath; stem cells from the stratum basale divide to start filling in the gap

Question 20

what are macrophages?

Answer 20

white blood cells that are brought in during stage two to consume and destroy any microorganisms or debris

Question 21

what is stage three of the healing process?

Answer 21

regeneration of the dermis

Question 22

what is mass-produced to help fix the dermis in stage three? what is happening to scabs and blood vessels at the same time?

Answer 22

collagen; scabs get broken down and blood vessels self-repair

Question 23

what is stage four of the healing process?

Answer 23

scarring

Question 24

what forms scars?

Answer 24

large amounts of collagen will push from deeper in the skin toward the surface

Question 25

true or false: scars tend to have very few glands, follicles, and blood vessels

Answer 25

true

Question 26

what happens if the body produces too much collagen?

Answer 26

a large, thick scar will develop; these are called keloids