A new review argues that autophagy coordinates multiple stages of skin wound healing and could be leveraged through drugs, phytochemicals, and engineered biomaterials to treat chronic and diabetic wounds. The framing positions the cellular recycling pathway as a governing network rather than a downstream effect of tissue repair. The review links mechanistic autophagy control to cellular processes involved in healing, creating a rationale for therapeutic designs that modulate autophagic flux to restore function in stalled wounds. It also highlights translational strategies where biomaterials can influence autophagy-related pathways. Clinically, the focus will be on developing targeted approaches that avoid broad immunosuppression effects and demonstrate consistent outcomes in hard-to-heal wound populations.