Advanced Wound Care

"Don’t know where to start Dr Vazales is the best. I had a pressure sore/Calus on bottom of my foot. He took the initiative to go over and beyond to make sure I was pain free. I called his office his staff was so nice and getting me in there quickly. I will be returning for future visits. Thanks again guys you rock."

DAVID | MAR 15, 2023

Wound care is important for any wound that takes a long time to heal, which can lead to amputation if you don’t care for them properly. At Advanced Foot & Ankle of Virginia in Glen Allen, Virginia, board-certified foot and ankle surgeon, Ryan Vazales, DPM, DABFAS, FACFAS, utilizes evidence-based wound care, soft tissue repair, and bone loss and deformity treatments and techniques to help patients heal wounds, prevent infections, and avoid amputation when possible.

Preventing amputation is an important aspect of Dr. Vazales’ practice. For patients living with conditions that affect the soft tissue of the legs and feet, Dr. Vazales offers specialized care that can help prevent future injuries and amputations.

What is wound care?

Wound care involves treatments to manage an open flesh injury and help it heal. Dr. Vazales provides individualized wound care that can change as the healing process progresses. Wound care usually involves a few different strategies including:

• Debridement: Debridement is a procedure to remove necrotic (dead) tissue or biofilm from a wound to encourage proper healing.
• Dressings: Dressings go over a wound to keep the wound moist and keep bacteria away from your flesh. Dr. Vazales teaches you to handle your dressings at home.
• Off-loading: Off-loading can involve special footwear that removes pressure from the area of your foot where a wound is.
• Medications: Oral antibiotics may be necessary to prevent your wound from getting infected. You may need to take other medications to manage pain or swelling from your wound.

What is Advanced Wound Care?

When debridement, dressings, off-loading and medications are not enough to heal a chronic wound, Dr. Vazales specializes in advanced wound therapies to heal the most complicated wounds and ulcers.  Advanced wound care therapies include:

• Skin Substitute Grafts: A skin substitute graft is a group of biological and / or synthetic elements that augment temporary or permanent closure of ulcers. A benefit of skin substitute grafts is that no donor site is required.
• Split Thickness Skin Graft: A split thickness skin graft encompasses partial layers of the skin to promote healing. It is especially useful for wounds that are too big to heal on their own, such as skin loss from infection, skin cancer surgery, non-healing ulcers, or burns.
• Wound Vac Therapy: Wound vac therapy is vacuum assisted closure of a wound. A device is utilized to decrease air pressure on the wound creating negative pressure, helping to heal the wound from the inside out.
• Orthoplastic Surgery: Orthoplastic surgery often involves patients with high-risk for limb amputation.

For hard-to-heal wounds, advanced wound care solutions allow Dr. Vazales to provide you with a better quality of life and progress toward healing.

When do I need wound care?

Dr. Vazales provides professional wound care for wounds that haven’t improved in two weeks or longer. Many wounds heal on their own, but larger wounds and ulcers need wound care to encourage healing and avoid infections and other complications. When wounds fail standard wound care, advanced therapies are often necessary. Types of wounds that may need advanced wound care include:

• Chronic wounds
• Diabetic ulcers
• Traumatic wounds
• Venous leg ulcers
• Burns

What are the benefits of wound care?

Dr. Vazales’ number-one goal is to prevent amputations. If a wound or ulcer becomes necrotic and infected, the infection can spread up your leg and kill the tissue within. As a result, you may need amputation so you can stop the spread and keep your health intact.

Aside from preventing amputation, wound care can:

• Help your wound heal faster
• Prevent infections
• Reduce scarring
• Reduce pain
• Improve your quality of life

Call Advanced Foot & Ankle of Virginia or schedule an appointment online for professional wound care today.