The Epidermis in Wound Healing PDF

Preface

Just 30 years ago, the book Epidermal Wound Healing was published. That collection of papers from leaders in the field presented an interdisciplinary view of various aspects of wound healing. The primary focus, while on the epidermis, did not exclude interaction with other tissues. At the time of that work, little of the emerging data on wounds was being applied clinically. Today, many of the so-called advanced wound therapies can be traced back to the ideas presented by the group of contributors to Epidermal Wound Healing. These include the use of film, hydrocolloid, and gel dressings, which have brought about the acceptance of "moist wound healing" to prevent dehydration necrosis in the wound and enhance epithelial migration for early wound closure. The moist environment has also been employed to reduce inflammation and subsequent scar formation in the dermis. One aspect of these dressings, which was not predicted by the work in 1972, was their utility in enhancing autolytic debridement in chronic wounds, such as decubitus, venous, and diabetic ulcers. Also included in the original publication was the early work on growth factors and their potential applications to wound therapy. Today, clinicians are able to employ platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) and tissue-engineered living skin products, which deliver an array of other growth factors.

The availability of new biological techniques and a renaissance of interest in both acute and chronic wound healing have led to a tremendously improved understanding of the cellular and chemical complexities of the healing process. We have begun to appreciate that much of what we have learned based upon acute wound healing does not always apply to the chronic wound. With this realization, much of today's clinical and research practice focuses on decubitus ulcers, venous ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers.

Surprisingly, the original text from 1972 remains the only book focused on epidermal healing and is still frequently cited, even though there have been many further advances. The purpose of this second book on the topic is to update the information available on the epidermis, present a selection of the newest findings, and stimulate original research and development in wound therapy. Our intent is to focus on biological advances that improve our knowledge and lead to new opportunities for research and clinical applications in wound healing.