Wound healing is a cascade of events that can be divided into three stages. The inflammatory phase occurs over several days. Initially the body tries to stem the bleeding. The blood vessels in the immediate vicinity constrict (narrow) to reduce the amount of blood loss. Platelets form clots and seal the breaks in the blood vessel. As the wound seals, the blood vessels dilate, or open up. White blood cells move in to clear out debris and fight infection.

In the next stage (the proliferative phase), a matrix, or scaffold, forms. New cells and blood vessels build on this matrix and the wound turns pink in color. Gradually, the new cells fill in the wound, pulling the edges closer together.

The remodeling phase begins about three weeks after the injury and, depending upon the size of the wound, lasts from several months to two years. As more collagen is deposited into the site, the tissue becomes stronger and a scar forms. Scar tissue is about 70 to 80 percent as strong as unbroken skin.

Normally, a wound shows signs of healing within a few days. But some wounds don't heal well or fail to heal completely. Researchers estimate chronic wounds, sometimes referred to as ulcers, affect 5.7 million Americans. The wounds may last for months or longer and become infected and are stubbornly difficult to treat. The most common kinds of chronic wounds are diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous stasis ulcers.

Honey Dressing

Some deeper or larger wounds require a specialized dressing to help the body heal and reduce the risk of infection. There are many different options to choose from. One dressing ingredient that's garnering attention is honey. Before the advent of modern medicine, honey was commonly used to treat wounds. The treatment fell out of favor when new types of sterile dressings and antibiotics became widely available.

Now, honey is making a comeback. MEDIHONEY™ is a medical grade honey. It comes from bees drinking the nectar of the manuka shrub, Leptospermum scoparium, found only in New Zealand.

All honey naturally contains hydrogen peroxide, a type of antiseptic produced from an enzyme bees add to nectar. That gives honey antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Manuka honey has an additional, as yet unidentified, substance that fights bacteria, fungus and other infectious organisms. It has even been shown to heal wounds infected with MRSA, a serious antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

MEDIHONEY is approved by the FDA for use in wound care. The honey is impregnated in a dressing made of calcium alginate, a substance derived from seaweed. John Steinberg, M.D., Podiatrist with Georgetown University Hospital, says when placed on a wound, the calcium alginate absorbs some of the wound fluid, forming a gel that keeps the wound moist. Traditional dressings sometimes dry out and stick to the underlying skin, causing pain and disrupting the healing tissue when old bandages are removed. MEDIHONEY dressings don't dry out and are easily removed. If any part of the dressing remains behind when the bandage is removed, it can be rinsed away with water.

Currently, Steinberg is using MEDIHONEY dressings for several types of wounds, like diabetic foot ulcers and venous ulcers on the leg. He says MEDIHONEY won't replace traditional wound dressings. However, it is one more option for doctors to use when faced with wounds that don't heal or become infected with drug-resistant germs.

Experts warn against using store-bought honey on wounds because regular honey isn't sterilized and may contain spores from the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

For information about MEDIHONEY™, visit http://www.dermasciences.com/welcome.php.

For general information on wound care:

Association for the Advancement of Wound Care