What happens as a wound heals?
As the wound heals, new, tiny red blood vessels are stimulated to grow toward the wound to provide more avenues to transport bacteriafighting cells and collagen-producing cells. The fibroblast, the collagenproducing cells, lay down new collagen, and we see evidence of their presence as the edges of the skin contract to close the wound. As the wound heals, the collagen continues to remodel itself in an attempt to fall within the natural tension lines of the skin. As time passes, the wound contracts and often forms a depression in the skin. When they’re no longer needed, red blood vessels retreat, which is why the scar becomes pale white. New collagen layers do not contain pigment or hair cells, in contrast to the tissues surrounding the wound.
