Progress in Hydrogels for Skin Wound Repair

As the first defensive line between the human body and the outside world, the skin is vulnerable to damage from the external environment. Skin wounds can be divided into acute wounds (mechanical injuries, chemical injuries, and surgical wounds, etc.) and chronic wounds (burns, infections, diabetes, etc.). In order to manage skin wound, a variety of wound dressings have been developed, including gauze, films, foams, nanofibers, hydrocolloids, and hydrogels. Recently, hydrogels have received much attention because of their natural extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimik structure, tunable mechanical properties, and facile bioactive substance delivery capability. They show great potential application in skin wound repair. This paper first introduces the anatomy and function of the skin, the process of wound healing and conventional wound dressings, and then introduces the composition and construction methods of hydrogels. Next, this paper introduces the necessary properties of hydrogels in skin wound repair and the latest research progress of hydrogel dressings for skin wound repair. Finally, the future development goals of hydrogel materials in the field of wound healing are proposed.