Wounds and wound healing are as old as mankind. Throughout the centuries, all kinds of techniques have been used and recommended.

For acute wounds, the greatest progress has been made by asepsis, antisepsis, the development of safe and effective microbial agents, modern surgery, and anesthesia.

The treatment of chronic wounds was certainly not considered great medicine, as this citation made in 1805 shows: “The treatment of such cases is generally looked upon as an inferior branch of practice, an unpleasant and unglorious task where much labor must be bestowed, and little honor gained.”<sup>43 The Inquirer What are the comparative advantages of ulcerated legs? Edinb Med Surg J 1805 ;  1 : 187

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Since the 1980s, the joint efforts of clinicians and researchers from several disciplines have generated an air of excitement about the progress being made in the field of wound healing.

The healing process is being better understood, new dressings are being developed, and growth factors are being discovered. This process has resulted in the formation of wound-healing societies and journals dedicated exclusively to wound healing. Numerous congresses are now being devoted to wound healing and to the several factors involved in this process. In specialized centers for wound healing and diabetic foot clinics, better results are being achieved by a multidisciplinary approach.

In dermatology, however, it is certainly not yet the most popular subject. Still, I think that dermatologists should occupy a prominent place in this area. This article gives an overview of therapeutic approaches, nonsurgical dermatologic treatments in particular. The types of wounds we discuss include acute wounds, infected acute wounds, chronic wounds, infected and colonized chronic wounds, and incurable wounds.