New research from the University of California, Riverside, has found that applying insulin directly to wounds of the skin significantly enhances the natural healing process.

Insulin is most well known for its capacity to regulate blood sugar levels, but it now also appears to play a role in improved wound healing.

Wounds treated with insulin healed faster than those which remained untreated.

The mechanism is thought to be regulated by keratinocytes, which are stimulated by insulin.

It is also related to the fact that people with diabetes (who generally have low insulin) also experience poor wound healing.

This finding may have important benefits for the American health care system, which expends significant resources to treat non-healing or chronic wounds.

While it helps reduce health care costs, insulin can also improve healing and quality of life for diabetes patients and others with chronic skin wounds.