Wounds sustained at night ‘generally heal more slowly’

Wounds sustained at different times of day heal at variable rates due to the way the body clock works, according to new research.

A study from the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology has shown for the first time that people's internal body clocks regulate wound healing by skin cells, with healing performance optimised during the day.

Studying the records of 118 patients with burn injuries, it was discovered that such wounds healed approximately 60 percent faster if the injury happened during the day rather than at night, as skin cells moved to the site of the wound more quickly during the daytime.

Burns that happened at night took an average of 28 days to reach a healing rate of 95 percent, compared to only 17 days if the burn happened in the day.

On a cellular level, this was explained by increased activity of proteins involved in cell movement and repair, with daytime wounds also characterised by more collagen being deposited at the wound site, which continued for up to two weeks after the injury occurred.

Dr Ned Hoyle, lead author on the paper, said: "Further research into the link between body clocks and wound healing may help us to develop drugs that prevent defective wound healing or even help us to improve surgery outcomes."

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