Our Treatment Methodology
Developed by Dr. Lonnie Lassiter II, M.D., and detailed in his clinical textbook on wound medicine, the Lassiter Phases of Healing determine every treatment decision we make — not the other way around.
Dr. Lonnie Lassiter II, M.D.
Founder · Author, Lassiter Textbook of Wound Medicine
The Framework
A diabetic foot ulcer in a patient with kidney disease is a fundamentally different challenge than a pressure injury in a patient recovering from surgery. The wound may look similar, but the biology underneath it — and the path to healing — can be worlds apart.
The Lassiter Phases of Healing is the structured framework our clinicians use to diagnose where every wound stands biologically, and what it needs next: Cleaning, Building, and Closing. Treatment follows the phase. Never the other way around.
Healing cannot begin in a wound bed cluttered with dead tissue, biofilm, or infection. The Cleaning Phase clears the path — removing what blocks repair and controlling bacterial burden.
With the wound bed prepared, the Building Phase optimizes the biological environment so your body can generate healthy new tissue — and corrects the barriers working against it.
The Closing Phase supports final wound closure, protects fragile new skin, and manages the underlying causes long-term — because a wound that closes and recurs was never truly healed.
The Healing Compass
Two wounds in the same phase can still need completely different care. That’s why every treatment plan also accounts for the systemic and local barriers working against healing.
Phase + systemic barriers + local barriers is what tells us what to do first.
Patient-level barriers — diabetes, malnutrition, poor circulation, anemia — that slow healing everywhere in the body. If the body behind the wound isn't equipped to heal, no dressing will fix that.
Conditions at the wound site itself — pressure, infection, excess moisture, mechanical stress — that keep this specific wound from closing, even when the rest of the body is ready.
Why It Matters
Because treatment follows a diagnosed phase and diagnosed barriers, no single product or procedure is the default answer for every patient. Grafts, biologics, and skin substitutes are one option among many — used only when the wound’s biology calls for them.
That distinction matters for patients, and it matters for the people who pay for care. Every treatment decision ties back to a documented phase and a documented barrier — the same clinical logic that satisfies medical-necessity standards and protects patients from care built around a product catalog instead of their biology.
“Treatment follows the biology — not a product catalog.”
What We Offer
The sequence below is deliberate. Conservative, foundational interventions come first; product-based interventions come last, once the wound is ready for them. Every therapy is tagged with its place in the Lassiter Phases of Healing.
Clearing the path so healing can begin.
The clinical process of removing dead, damaged, or infected tissue — often the most important first step in chronic wound care. Because biofilm can reform within 24–48 hours, debridement is frequently repeated at precise intervals. The method matters less than the judgment behind it.
Learn moreAddressing the mechanical forces that prevent healing.
Venous ulcers won't heal without compression. Diabetic foot ulcers won't close under continued pressure. Wraps, stockings, boots, and total contact casting correct the physical forces working against the wound — one of the most evidence-supported interventions in wound care.
Learn moreControlled suction that accelerates healing.
Wound VAC therapy removes excess fluid and infectious material, reduces swelling, and increases blood flow to the wound bed. Stationary and portable systems let many patients continue therapy at home or in their care facility between visits.
Learn moreHealing starts inside the body, not on the wound surface.
Up to 60% of chronic wound patients are malnourished — one of the most overlooked reasons wounds fail to heal. We screen for deficiencies at every encounter and treat the systemic factors that undermine repair: blood sugar, anemia, edema, even depression and isolation.
Learn moreWhen every step matters, so does every decision.
Diabetic foot ulcers drive more than 80% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations. Our limb-salvage protocols — vascular assessment, blood sugar optimization, evidence-based offloading, advanced therapies — are built to intervene before amputation becomes inevitable.
Learn moreDelivering oxygen where your body needs it most.
Pressurized 100% oxygen dissolves into blood plasma at far higher concentrations — fueling infection control, new blood vessels, and collagen production. FDA-cleared for diabetic foot ulcers, compromised grafts, chronic bone infection, and radiation injury. Available at our Forest City, NC clinic.
Learn moreOne tool among many — never the starting point.
Acellular dermal matrices, amniotic allografts, and cellular tissue products can jumpstart regeneration in a stalled wound. But applied too early — before the wound bed is prepared and systemic barriers are corrected — even the most advanced product fails. We invest in these therapies only when the wound's biology calls for them, which is why our graft take rates consistently exceed national benchmarks.
Learn moreYour Visit
Here’s how your care unfolds from the first visit forward.
Your first visit is thorough. We assess the wound itself — size, depth, tissue type, drainage — and we evaluate the systemic and local factors that may be preventing healing. Vascular testing, nutritional screening, medication review, and an honest conversation about your health and daily life.
Based on your evaluation, we build a plan that addresses your wound from every angle: its healing phase, the barriers specific to your body, and the combination of therapies most likely to move it forward. No two plans are alike, because no two patients are.
Wound healing isn't linear, and we don't treat it that way. At every visit we reassess progress, adjust therapies, and make sure your systemic health is supporting recovery. If a wound hasn't shown meaningful progress within four weeks, we re-examine every variable.
Closing the wound is the goal, but it's not the finish line. Chronic wounds recur when the underlying causes aren't managed long-term. We provide prevention education, coordinate with your care team, and establish follow-up protocols that protect the healing we've achieved together.
The Difference
Not all wound care is the same. The difference between a wound that heals and one that lingers for months — or leads to hospitalization and amputation — often comes down to whether the care team looked beyond the wound surface and addressed what was actually preventing healing.
At Wound Care Specialists, the Lassiter Phases of Healing commits us to a level of clinical rigor that treats every variable: the wound’s biology, your body’s systemic health, and the mechanical and environmental factors at the wound site. It’s what allows us to take on the wounds other providers have struggled with — and to deliver outcomes that change our patients’ lives.
Your Doctor
Dr. Lonnie Lassiter II, M.D., has dedicated more than two decades to chronic and complex wounds, with a particular focus on limb salvage in high-risk patients. The Lassiter Phases of Healing is the framework he codified in his clinical textbook on wound medicine — and under his direction, every WCS clinician diagnoses and treats to that same evidence-based standard. Patient by patient, not product by product.
Go Deeper
The graft-readiness checklist — and what it costs patients and payers when it's skipped.
Read The Healing CompassS-WHIFs, L-WHIFs, and why two wounds in the same phase can need completely different care.
Read Case NotesA venous leg ulcer stalled in the Building Phase — and the barrier correction that closed it.
ReadWhether you’re a patient seeking answers, a family member looking for help, or a care facility in need of a wound care partner, we’re here. Request a consultation and let our team evaluate how we can help.
Now serving patients across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia.