Given the constantly rising percentage of older people in the population and the huge cost of treating wounds in this patient group, the importance of examining the relationship between ageing and wound healing cannot be underestimated. This article will examine current thinking in this area. Despite early reports of delays in wound healing associated with age and changes in cutaneous structure, it is now thought that wound healing in healthy older people is essentially normal but factors commonly associated with old age, such as ischaemia may account for any differences observed.
