View clinical trials related to Cicatrix, Hypertrophic.
Filter by:This study will evaluate the efficacy of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in conjunction with usual care (MED) for the treatment of hypertrophic burn scars and will determine the optimal sequence and timing of lasers and usual care.
Skin injuries due to trauma are relatively common, and patients are very concerned about scars caused by trauma and primary repair. Recently, the use of ablative and non-ablative lasers based on the fractional approach has become a novel strategy for the treatment of scars. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of dual-mode Er:YAG laser delivering pulses either with and without heat/coagulation in a cohort of patients with long keloid/hypertrophic scars. The main hypothesis is that ablative fractional laser without heat/coagulation is equivalent to laser with heat/coagulation in terms of scars volume reduction, while the secondary hypothesis is that ablative fractional laser without heat/coagulation is superior in terms of post-operative erythema and hypopigmentation reduction.
This project aims to understand the molecular biology underlying the improvement of surgical scars treated by ablative fractional photothermolysis (FP). Previous human studies at MGH have shown that FP significantly improves the appearance and functionality of surgical and burn scars. At the Wellman Center, we have conducted a randomized, controlled study on linear surgical scars demonstrating the efficacy of FP to decrease the volume of hypertrophic scars, and to improve the appearance and texture of scars. However, the underlying mechanism of this therapeutic effect is unknown. It is clear that FP induces wound healing and remodeling of the normal skin surrounding microthermal zones (MTZs). Furthermore, other researchers have employed animal models using transgenic zebrafish and the mouse eye, and found that laser treatments induce changes in gene expression in specific cells. We propose to determine whether the effect of FP on scar improvement occurs via changes in patterns of local gene expression within the skin, specifically dermal fibroblasts. By characterizing these changes, we may be able to identify molecular mechanisms that both explain and contribute to the beneficial effects of FP in the surgical and traumatic scar. The molecular insights into the therapeutic effects of fractional laser photothermolysis may provide a basis for future therapeutic strategies to improve scar remodeling.
This study assesses the intervention with antifibrotic agents, specifically interferon (IFN) to reduce the magnitude and duration of hypertrophic scar. Burn patients with hypertrophic scar are randomly assigned to either an intervention IFN group or a placebo control group by subcutaneous injection three times a week. Patients are assessed using cutometer, mexameter, standardized photography, urinalysis, blood work, tissue biopsies and the Vancouver Burn Scar Assessment (VBSA) which rates selected HTS based on color, vascularity, height, pliability, itchiness and pain sensitivity. Once on treatment patients are assessed monthly for the six month treatment period.