Dermatologists and wound healing: a revolution

The many technological improvements in managing wounds result, in part, from the field of dermatology. The clinical and biochemical information coming from the wound bed and surrounding skin are in a continuous wave of examination and testing, with new tools, devices and treatments constantly being developed. Dermatologists on the front line, have many different areas of expertise to offer, such as clinical skills, skin measurements, skin biopsies and pathology, as well as providing advanced systemic treatments.

The clinical evaluation of atypical wounds is an area where dermatologists are able to play a significant role in a multidisciplinary team (MDT), not only by describing the pathognomonic features of lesions but also by alerting the team about potential side effects like pathergy, which can occur in pyoderma gangrenosum.

Assessing the skin, for physical, chemical and biochemical parameters, such as pH and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), is an established discipline in general dermatology, while advanced imaging of wound is an exciting field, where we see a constant growth in the use of modern technologies such as confocal microscopy, optical coherence tomography and ultra-high frequency ultrasound. Objective assessment, obtaining reproducible results, of both acute and chronic wound brings advantages in terms of understanding and awareness of wound healing and is now, more than ever, essential to practice.