Worry Wounds

Have a cut that won't heal? Try taking a deep breath and relaxing.

By Camille Chatterjee, published on November 01, 1998 - last reviewed on August 30, 2004

When we slice a finger or scrape a knee, we rush to disinfect and bandage the cut; few of us breathe deeply and relax. But research shows that psychological stress may be just as harmful to a wound's healing as neglecting physical treatment.

Phillip T. Marucha, D.M.D., Ph.D., Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., and Mehrdad Favagehi, D D.S. of Ohio State University recruited 11 dental students to see if a commonplace stressor, like an exam, would delay the healing of a wound. The future dentists consented to have their own palates punctured--"a minor pain, like a pizza burn," says Kiecolt-Glaser--once during summer vacation, and once again three days before the first test of the new semester.

The results were clear: no subject's puncture wound healed as quickly during exams as during vacation. The wounds took about eight days to heal completely during the summer break, but almost 11 days during exams--a 40% increase in recovery time.

Researchers also measured the students' levels of interleukin (IL)-1 Beta, a substance integral to wound healing, in part because it facilitates the regrowth of skin and recruits inflammatory cells to the site of damage. "It's the quintessential immunological agent; it does everything," emphasizes Marucha. Subjects' IL-1 Beta levels declined an average of 68% during exams.

If even a mild routine strain like exams can retard healing, conclude the scientists, then surgical patients and others who suffer larger gashes and greater anxiety than the students in this study face a huge health risk. The healing of tiny oral tissue wounds, they believe, can reflect how quickly other parts of the body will recover after injury. By inhibiting immune system functioning, stress can lead to infection and weakness in hospital patients.

"Wounds with long healing times can be a real drain if you've just had surgery," explains Kiecolt-Glaser. "It's a big deal it! You're just sitting there with an open wound. Closing it is an important--and exhausting--task for the body."

Luckily, there are ways that the injured can speed the recovery process. "Make sure that they get enough rest," says Kiecolt-Glaser. "Otherwise, they increase the stress hormones which can disrupt healing."