A collaborative study with Harvard Medical School
Diabetes makes people more likely to have foot ulcers. Ulcers are open sores on the skin that don’t heal the way they should. If ulcers are left untreated, it may become severe. It is believed that between 14-24 percent of people with diabetes are likely to develop an ulcer and have their lower limb amputated.
One of the early signs of foot ulcers is pus from your foot that might stain your socks. Abnormal swelling, soreness, redness, and odors from feet infected are common initial symptoms of a foot ulcer.
Why is foot ulcers healing slow?
When you have diabetes, several factors can affect your body’s ability to heal ulcers. A diabetic foot ulcer has various causes, often including external ischemia, neuropathy, or both. A few of them include:
- High blood sugar levels
- Neuropathy
- Poor circulation
- Immune system deficiency
- Infection
If you get an ulcer or notice any change in your skin that you’re unsure about, consult a doctor, could be a primary doctor or a diabetes specialist. A debridement procedure will be given to the infected area, removing unhealthy tissue from the wound to spur healing. The doctor will also work with you to keep your sore or ulcer from getting infected and becoming more significant.
If the foot ulcer doesn’t heal within a month or the infection spreads to the bone, in this case, patients may need other treatments. These can include surgery and hyperbolic oxygen therapy to help the body heal.
Healing Factors of Foot Ulcers
The healing time depends on various factors. It could be the wound size, location, pressure on the ulcer while walking or standing for a long time, blood circulation, swelling, glucose levels, and treatment and dressing given to the ulcer. Healing may occur within weeks, months, or years based on different stages of Foot ulcers.
There are newer products available in the market for treating foot ulcers, and one such innovation is MaxioCel. It is a next-generation wound care dressing made of chitosan, which provides maximum comfort and faster healing to patients suffering diabetic foot ulcers and other chronic wounds.
MaxioCel is a highly absorbent wound dressing, designed to heal patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, bedsores, and chronic wounds by effectively managing exudates, pain, and scar improvement. It can be used for moderate to heavily exudating wounds of varied depth, shape and size.
