When I discuss insulin, typically, it's in relation to most people having levels that are far too high systemically, one of the primary physical reasons why most patients develop chronic illnesses. Apparently, some bright researchers from the University of California, Riverside, figured out how to use insulin topically to stimulate wound healing.
Researchers discovered skin wounds on rats that were treated with insulin healed epidermal cells and rebuilt blood vessels faster. And, later studies determined insulin stimulates human keratinocytes (cells that regenerate the skin after a wound) and directs them to migrate to wounds.
How insulin works to heal wounds: It activates kinases (cellular signaling proteins) and the SREBP protein by binding chemicals in DNA that govern cholesterol production, among other things.
I don’t see patients anymore, but if I did I guarantee you I would try this new trick. In any event, I'll likely give it a try personally if I ever have a wound, though as it seems like a great wound healer enhancer.
These results remind me of the trick I learned 25 years ago when I was a resident of using super glue for wounds (I read about it in a letter to the editor in the British Medical Journal). I used it with great success in many of my ER rotations, and a decade later, and even today, it's still used as a simple way to close simple wounds with a great cosmetic effect on the face.
One more common-sense reminder about wounds that'll save you or a loved one a trip to the ER some day: As long as the wound is small and no major tendons are severed, it's safe to stop the bleeding with a bandage, of course, after cleaning it with soap and water.
Science Daily December 11, 2006