The case for considering volar skin in a "separate status" for wound healing

Joshua Tam

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1156828

The case for considering volar skin in a "separate status" for wound healing

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Mar 23:10:1156828. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1156828. eCollection 2023.

Author

Joshua Tam^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
² Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Abstract

Foot ulcers, particularly in the diabetic setting, are a major medical and socioeconomic challenge. While the effects of diabetes and its various sequelae have been extensively studied, in the wound field it is commonly assumed that the wound healing process is essentially identical between different skin types, despite the many well-known specializations in palmoplantar skin, most of which are presumed to be evolutionary adaptations for weightbearing. This article will examine how these specializations could alter the wound healing trajectory and contribute to the pathology of foot ulcers.

Keywords: barrier function; eccrine sweat gland; foot ulcer; keratinocytes; palmoplantar; specialization; volar skin; wound healing.

Publication types

Review