"Will the red marks left after the scabs fall off really never go away?" This is a frequently asked question in outpatient clinics. In the eyes of dermatologists, scabs are not only a "protective shell" for wounds, but also a double-edged sword - proper treatment can accelerate healing, but mistakes in operation may leave lifelong regrets. Today, we will uncover the secrets behind scabs from the perspective of skin physiology and explore a care plan that subverts traditional cognition.

Is scab really the "gold standard" for wound healing?

The traditional concept is that "wound scab is the sign of healing", but modern wound care theory has long broken this cognition. When the skin is damaged, the blood scab formed by platelet aggregation is essentially an "emergency hemostatic device" rather than an ideal repair environment. Clinical observations have found that overly dry scabs will hinder the migration of epidermal cells and prolong the healing cycle. More importantly, the skin is in a "pseudo-healing" state when it is scabbed. The scab is tightly adhered to the new tissue. Artificial tanning can easily cause damage to the dermis and activate excessive secretion of melanocytes - this is the root cause of permanent pigmentation.

Why does picking scabs lead to permanent pigmentation?

To understand this problem, we need to first understand the "pigment metabolism chain" after skin damage. When mechanical external force forcibly peels off the scab, it triggers the "stress response" of the basement membrane zone, causing the activity of tyrosinase to increase by 5-7 times. This enzyme is a key catalyst for melanin synthesis, and its overactivity can cause post-inflammatory pigmentation (PIH) on the local skin. What's worse, repeated picking of scabs will form a vicious cycle of "damage-repair-re-injury", which will expand the range of pigmentation and deepen the color. We have conducted a follow-up study on acne patients: those who habitually squeeze and pick scabs have a 2.3-fold longer time to disappear than the control group, and the probability of residual pigmentation is 40% higher.

How do hydrocolloid dressings change the traditional nursing model?

As a new type of functional dressing, hydrocolloid dressings reconstruct the logic of wound management through the "moist healing" mechanism. Its core ingredient, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, can react with wound exudate to generate gel, forming a hypoxic and moist microenvironment. This environment not only promotes the release of growth factors and accelerates the proliferation of epidermal cells, but more importantly, it avoids the formation of scabs. Clinical data show that the healing time of superficial wounds using hydrocolloid dressings is 30% shorter than that of traditional dry therapy, and the incidence of pigmentation is reduced by 65%. It is worth emphasizing that this dressing does not simply replace scabs but regulates the healing process to allow the skin to complete physiological repair in a "scab-free" state.

What should you pay attention to when using hydrocolloid dressings?

Although hydrocolloid dressings have significant advantages, standardized operation is crucial. First, you need to determine the type of wound: it is suitable for clean wounds such as superficial abrasions and postoperative incisions. Infected wounds need to be debrided first. It is recommended to clean with normal saline before applying and cut to the appropriate size after the skin is completely dry, ensuring that the edge extends 2-3mm beyond the wound. The frequency of replacement is based on the amount of exudate, usually every 3-5 days. Excessive tearing and pulling may damage the new skin. For areas where pigmentation has already formed, topical preparations containing vitamin C and tranexamic acid can be used in combination to block the pigment production chain by inhibiting tyrosinase activity.

In the field of wound care, the biggest misunderstanding often stems from the excessive pursuit of "healing appearance". Scabbing is not the end of healing, and pigmentation is not the inevitable outcome. Through scientific understanding of wound repair mechanisms and the rational use of new dressing technologies, we have every opportunity to rewrite the fate of "scabbing and scarring" and allow the skin to achieve perfect regeneration with less intervention. For more information on Innomed®Hydrocolloid Dressing, refer to the Previous Articles. If you have customized needs, you are welcome to contact us. You Wholeheartedly. At longterm medical, we transform this data by Innovating and Developing Products that Make Life easier for those who need loving care.

Editor: kiki Jia