A surgical incision closed primarily regains strength progressively during healing. Which statement best describes the recovery of tensile strength in a healing cutaneous wound?
- A Tensile strength reaches approximately 50% of normal by the end of the first week
- B Tensile strength recovers to about 100% of unwounded skin after one year
- C At one week the wound has roughly 10% of its final strength, and it plateaus at about 70 to 80% of normal skin even after full remodeling ✓
- D Tensile strength is fully restored once type III collagen has completely replaced type I collagen
Correct answer: C. At one week the wound has roughly 10% of its final strength, and it plateaus at about 70 to 80% of normal skin even after full remodeling
Explanation
Wound strength rises rapidly between 1 and 8 weeks with collagen deposition, but remodeling never restores more than about 70 to 80% of the tensile strength of uninjured skin, a permanent deficit. At one week strength is only around 10%. Option D is wrong because type I collagen replaces type III during remodeling, not the reverse.
Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.