The Psychology of Wound Healing

I just returned from the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Fall held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting provided many educational opportunities in the form of symposia, lectures, networking, and just observing people. Since I don’t gamble, my main activity (after the wound lectures, of course) was people watching. I cannot think of a better place on the planet to watch people than in Las Vegas! If you pay attention, you can see just about anything there. This trip, I saw people dressed in weird clothes, fancy clothes, comfortable clothes, and very few clothes. The more interesting observation was the expressions on people’s faces. In this place of supposed fun and carefree behavior, I was surprised at the number of people with frowns on their faces. It did not seem to matter the time of day or night, where they were, or what they were doing. Most people were frowning. They were supposed to be having fun. The one man I saw with a great big smile on his face caught my attention and even made me smile. 

As wound care providers, we deal with numerous people who have little to smile about because they have wounds that have made their lives miserable. Many have been told there is no way to resolve their wound problem without losing a leg. Others have encountered family problems and social issues because of their wounds. We must remember, as my friend Dr. John Macdonald says, that we must treat the whole patient and not just the hole in the patient. When we hear that statement, most of the time we think of treating associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus or other problems that affect wound healing. We must not forget to treat the soul or emotional condition of the patient as well.¹ Not only are we making our patients feel better, but their wounds heal better. There have been a number of manuscripts demonstrating that psychological factors can delay wound healing.^2,3 It is important for us as wound care practitioners to help provide an uplifting environment for our patients.

One way we can do this is to smile! I know that each of us has his or her own problems and stresses, but we should learn to leave them at the door of the wound center and greet each of our patients with a smile. Author Lisa Sowards said, “Smile your way through this world even if you have nothing to smile about; you will impact every person you smiled at in some unknown way and that, my friend, is something to smile about.”

Even for patients who are in a bad mood and may be a bit unkind, a smile is in order. The actress Goldie Hawn said, “I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile.” It is amazing how quickly someone’s attitude can change when faced with a smiling person. Besides, smiling will make you feel better.

I hope the next time I see you, whether in your home town, at SAWC Spring in Atlanta, in Las Vegas next fall, or wherever we may meet, that you have a smile on your face. People are watching us all the time, and we always want to leave a good impression. Remember the words of Mother Teresa: “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

“Smile, for it can lift a saddened heart. Smile, for it can light the darkest day. Smile, for it can warm the coldest heart. Smile, for he is watching us all.”
– David Vaughn Stone