Epidermal Growth Factor in Wound Healing: A Model for the Molecular Pathogenesis of Chronic Wounds

Wound healing in the skin is a complex biological process that has been extensively characterized at the light microscope level. However, regulation of skin wound healing is only partially understood at the molecular level. Skin wound healing can be divided into three general phases: (a) the inflammatory phase, (b) the repair phase, and (c) the remodeling phase. There is considerable temporal overlap of these stages of healing and the entire process lasts for several months (1, 2).