Wound healing consists of an intricate and highly coordinated process during which the skin repairs itself following injury. Classically, wound healing proceeds through the sequential but overlapping phases of inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. Conventional wound healing strategies have shown only limited success in the reduction of hypertrophic scars and, despite advances in treatment, chronic wounds only achieve a 50% healing rate (Margolis et al, 2003; Kurd et al, 2009). Regenerative medicine mainly focuses on the therapeutic strategy of using stem cells to aid wound healing. In this article, the authors will review the use of exogenous stem cells and their role in wound healing.
