Which statement about healing of a surgical incision is true?

• A. Heals by epithelialization
• B. Lacks wound contraction
• C. Clean and intact wound edges
• D. Lacks granulation tissue formation

Answer: (C)

In healing a surgically closed incision, the goal is primary intention healing, which relies on bringing clean, well-aligned edges together. When the edges are clean and intact, epithelial cells from the margins can migrate across the wound and bridge the gap quickly, since there’s little tissue loss to fill. The close apposition minimizes dead space, so extensive granulation tissue isn’t required to fill gaps, and wound contraction is limited because the edges are held tightly in place. Some granulation tissue and a bit of contraction do occur as part of normal healing, but they’re not the defining feature when edges are clean and closely approximated. That’s why describing the wound as having clean and intact edges best reflects the typical healing of a surgically closed incision.