Effect of heat and cold stressors on skin thickness and wound outline retention 24 h after excision

Abstract

This is a follow-up study to an experiment on stress and wound healing which suggested a possible relationship between exposure to heat or cold stressors prior to wounding and reduced ability of the skin to retain the outline of an excised square cutout. The apparent gaping of wounds in stressed subjects seemed to be due to thinning and reduced firmness or elasticity of the skin. This study confirms that prior exposure to heat and cold stressors results in significantly thinner skin and, in the case of heat exposure, in significantly larger wounds 1 day after excision than in nonexposed controls.