Throughout the years, the skin is subjected to surface contact along with exposure to the external environment which results to cuts, blisters, scrapes and other wounds. The highly complex cellular activities involved in the normal healing process immediately start after the individual sustains an injury. Blisters and other wounds that involves more than the superficial region of the skin will form scars as part of the healing process. The severity and size of the blister usually influences the time that is needed to heal the injury as well as the amount of scarring occurs.
When it comes to wounds on the skin such as scrapes, cuts and blisters, it is vital that you know how to provide proper wound care. All you have to do is to register for first aid training today so that you can properly manage wound care to minimize scarring.
Structure of the skin
It is important that you are familiar with the structure of the skin so that you will fully understand how the healing process of blisters occurs and the scar formation process. The skin is comprised of two areas – outer epidermis and underlying dermis. The epidermis is comprised of layers of skin cells or keratinocytes. As for the dermis, it provides nourishment and support to the epidermis. This layer is comprised of nerves, blood vessels and connective tissues cells known as fibroblasts. The fibroblasts produces collage and other proteins that are vital during scar formation and the wound healing process.
Steps of the normal healing process
Inflammation
This is the initial step in the normal healing process of blisters. The damage on the tissue that initiates the blister formation starts the release of chemical messengers that alert the body that there is an injury. The specialized white blood cells move into the site of the blister to eliminate dead skin cells and protect the area from infection.
The flow of blood to the injury site increases and the blood vessels become permeable, resulting to swelling around the blister and momentary increase of fluid within the blister.
Collagen and scar formation
As skin cell replacement occurs, the fibroblasts in the dermis produce collagen. The fibrous protein will fill the damaged area and a matrix is created in which the new skin cells align. The collagen formed during the healing process constitutes the main component of a scar. When it comes to small-sized blisters, scarring is barely noticeable.
Remodeling and maturity
The new scar tissue will continue to undergo changes after the other processes of normal blister healing have ended. Scar remodeling can last for months or even years depending on the severity and depth of the blister. The scar contract as they mature which is why they shrink as time passes by. The process of scar maturation will try to restore the injury site to a condition that is closely similar to normal skin. Take note that the strength of a mature scar is significantly less than the normal skin.