During tissue healing, which phase involves proliferation and regeneration leading to scar formation and lasts about 4-6 weeks?

• A. Inflammatory response
• B. Fibroblastic repair
• C. Maturation remodeling phase
• D. Clot formation

Answer: (B)

The proliferative, or fibroblastic repair, phase is when new tissue is built to replace the injury. Fibroblasts migrate into the wound and lay down collagen and other extracellular matrix, while new blood vessels form to create granulation tissue. This activity strengthens the area and causes wound edges to contract, leading to scar formation. This phase typically spans roughly 4–6 weeks, during which collagen is deposited and organized to restore integrity, with early collagen being laid down (often type III) and later replaced and remodeled as healing progresses.

The other options fit different parts of the healing timeline: the inflammatory response is the immediate, early phase focusing on cleaning the wound and controlling bleeding; clot formation is part of the initial hemostatic response at the moment of injury; and the maturation remodeling phase comes after the proliferative phase, continuing for months to years as the collagen matrix is reorganized and tensile strength gradually increases.