Preventing diabetic wounds from penetrating the deeper layers of your skin is critical to avoid serious complications. At Bloomfield Family Footcare in Dearborn, Michigan, board-certified podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon Suha Kassab, DPM, provides thorough wound care for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions that compromise the immune system. Call Bloomfield Family Footcare or schedule an appointment online today to learn more.

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What is wound care?

Wound care is a specialized treatment for sores and tissue injuries that aren’t healing on their own. A non-healing wound often evolves into an open sore, increasing your risk of infection. As the wound penetrates the deeper layers of your skin, it eats away at your healthy tissue.

Non-healing wounds can lead to necrotic or dead tissue. Without time-sensitive treatment, these wounds may even infect the underlying bone. In rare cases, the affected limb requires amputation to prevent the spread of infection.

Who needs wound care?

Most wounds begin to heal on their own after about two weeks. If yours hasn’t healed in six weeks, you may have a non-healing wound. Dr. Kassab can perform a comprehensive evaluation to pinpoint the cause. Anybody can develop a slowing-healing or non-healing wound, but you’re more likely to if you have:

  • Congestive heart failure
  • Vascular disease
  • Renal (kidney) failure
  • Excess weight

Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which consistently high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessel walls. Without treatment, diabetes can slow oxygen-rich blood circulation to the feet. Wounds need healthy blood to heal on their own. Diabetes may also lead to peripheral neuropathy. This type of nerve damage can interfere with your ability to feel pain.

As a result, you may have a small cut, corn, or blister without realizing it. These seemingly small injuries can quickly evolve into open sores that don’t heal.

Smoking, consuming too much alcohol, poor diet, and obesity can also impede your wound’s ability to heal.

What are the different types of wound care?

After evaluating your injury, Dr. Kassab may recommend one or more of the following wound care treatments:

  • Cleaning and disinfecting the wound
  • Wound dressing
  • Antibiotics
  • Compression bandages
  • Custom-made orthotics

Debridement

Debridement is the process of removing dead or infected tissue from the wound to promote healing. Dr. Kassab thoroughly cleans and disinfects your wound before removing any thickened, discolored, or infected tissue. This procedure can prevent a slow-healing wound from growing larger and eating away at the surrounding tissue.

To learn more about wound care, call Bloomfield Family Footcare or schedule an appointment online today.