While most wounds heal within three months, chronic wounds are harder to treat and may require specialized wound healing treatment. Diabetic venus ulcers and arterial wounds, ostomy wounds, pressure wounds, and surgical complications are common complex wounds that require specialized care and extended recovery time.

The Angeles Wound Care Institute is Oregon’s leading wound care specialist. Our tailored approach to wound care strives to heal on a cellular level with the highest standard of patient care.

How Long Does it Take for Chronic Wounds to Heal?

Wound healing typically happens in four phases: the hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases.

• Hemostasis: Your body reacts to stop the bleeding by forming a clot. This stage usually happens within minutes.
• Inflammatory: White blood cells concentrate in the wound to fight bacteria and clean up debris within 24-48 hours. Then enzymes concentrate to continue debris clearing and aid in tissue repair for 4-6 days.
• Proliferative: Regenerating skin by repairing cells to cover the wound with new tissue. Usually happens within 4 to 24 days.
• Maturation: Strengthening the skin to heal and repair it, making it stronger with new tissue. This phase can vary from just a few weeks to two years.

The first three stages typically take up to 4 weeks, and longer in chronic wounds. Advanced and chronic wounds don’t follow this typical healing patterns, as they carry a higher risk of complication and vary based on the etiology. While acute wounds are typically treated within a few weeks, a chronic wound often does not show any sign of healing within four weeks.

As a specialist wound care center, we do everything we can to prioritize limb salvage and avoid amputation. Board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Adam Angeles, will create a tailored treatment plan that may last months to prioritize complete recovery and prevention moving forward.

Timeline for Chronic Wound Treatment and Recovery

A chronic wound is one that has not healed after 12 weeks, even with treatment. Chronic wounds should be regularly checked, cleaned, and bandaged to avoid infection and inflammation. Long-term chronic wounds may require further treatment, such as skin grafts and negative pressure wound therapy.

Debridement can help speed up recovery by removing dead or infected tissue. Larger chronic wounds may require local anesthetic or painkillers to make the treatment more comfortable for patients.

The maturation phase, when the wound recovers as collagen strengthens the skin around the wound and reduces scar tissue, can take up to a year. Birth tissue can be used for its anti-scarring and anti-inflammatory properties to support regenerative healing at a faster rate. Research has found that birth tissue can be effective in over 80% of cases of foot ulcers. Another study found that osteomyelitis wounds were fully healed within 16 weeks using birth tissue.

Oregon’s Leading Wound Care Center

Chronic wounds require specialist treatment plans, tailored to the needs of every patient. At Angeles Wound Care Institute, we offer a range of specialized treatments, including skin grafting, wound vacuum assisted closure, wound debridement, and weekly visits.

Complete our new patient referral form or contact our team for more information about our services, including diabetic foot ulcer treatment, lymphedema treatment, and acute and surgical wound healing.