Why Do Healing Wounds Itch?

When our body sustains a wound, new cells are formed near the edges of the injury and then move down to the base of the wound. Once these cells have migrated to the center of the wound, they connect with other cells nearby. Once this connection is made, the cells contract, effectively “closing the wound”.

This migration of cells and the subsequent attachment to other cells causes mechanical stress in those regions. This activates the itch-sensing neurons, resulting in us feeling an itch.