What is the final phase of wound healing?

• A. Inflammation
• B. Proliferation
• C. Remodeling
• D. Coagulation

Answer: (C)

Remodeling, also called maturation, is the final phase of wound healing. After the tissue has formed a granulation matrix and the wound begins to close during the proliferative phase, remodeling takes over to reorganize and strengthen the new tissue over a long period. Collagen laid down early (mostly type III) is gradually replaced with stronger type I collagen, and the fibers are realigned along the direction of mechanical stress. This process increases tensile strength but typically never entirely restores full pre-injury strength. The scar also becomes less vascular and more compact as myofibroblasts contract and the matrix matures. In contrast, the initial coagulation phase handles clot formation right after injury, and the inflammatory phase deals with debris and pathogens before new tissue forms. The proliferative phase builds the new tissue, but remodeling is the long, gradual maturation that finalizes the wound.