Some wounds cannot be closed at the skin level. One reason is infection in the wound. These wounds are left open to heal from the bottom (subcutaneous tissue) up to the skin level. They take significantly longer to heal because they require rebuilding of tissue to fill the defect. When dressing open wounds, the defect should be filled with a <a title="Gauze Dressing" href="https://www.healthproductsforyou.com/c-gauze-dressings.html" target="_blank">gauze dressing</a>. Scarring is much more noticeable on wounds that heal by secondary intention.