Saying Goodbye to Surgery Scars

If you’re planning to have cancer surgery in the near future or recently had surgery, your thoughts undoubtedly move to how you can minimize the trauma and scarring associated with treatment and speed the healing process. Healing wounds whether from accidental injury or surgical intervention requires a delicate interplay of multiple cell types, nutritional factors, immune processes and growth factors. Proper planning and prompt attention can promote normalization in appearance. Healing -From the Inside Out Wound healing is a stepwise process involving hemostasis, inflammation, and remodeling. During hemostasis, blood platelets release clotting factors and growth factors to help the body create a protective wound scab. This barrier provides a surface beneath which cell movement can occur. Then the process of inflammation brings nutrients to the area, removes debris and bacteria, and provides chemical signals for wound repair. Healing proceeds only after inflammation is controlled. The repair process can then begin to build new skin, fibrous tissue and blood vessels. Deficiencies of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fluids may significantly impair the healing process. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, green peppers is required for the formation of the connective tissue protein collagen. The precursor to Vitamin A (retinol) is found in carrots, cantaloupe, tomatoes, eggs, butter and cheese. It is essential for cell growth, skin and bone formation and i...
Source: Dr. Donna, MedicineWoman - Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Tags: Personal Health healing scars supplements surgery wound healing Source Type: blogs