NEWS |
FAT GRAFTING IMPROVES SCARS
TECHNIQUE FOR DIFFICULT-TO-TREAT SCARS
medicine to get rid of their ailments. However, a new technique which injects the patient's own fat cells is an effective treatment for hard, contracted scars resulting from burns or other causes, according to a study in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Dr Marco Klinger and co-authors, of
M
Università degli Studi di Milano, report good results with fat grafting in hundreds of patients with difficult-to-treat scars, which cause pain and limited motion: 'For scar treatment, where medical and surgical therapies seem to be ineffective especially in the long term, autologous fat graft has proven to be a new chance to repair tissue damage.' Dr Klinger and
colleagues used autologous fat grafting to treat persistent scarring problems in almost 700 patients over 6 years. All patients had abnormal, painful scars that caused hardening or tightening of the skin, often with limitation of motion. The scars — resulting from burns, surgery, or other causes — had not improved with other treatments.
The procedure The fat grafting procedure began with liposuction to collect a small amount of the patient's own fat tissue. After processing, surgeons reinjected the fat cells under the skin
illions of people with scars suffer from pain, discomfort, and the inability to perform regular activities. Some may have to revert to addicting pain
in the area of scarring. Fat was distributed in different directions, with the goal of creating a 'web' of support for scarred, damaged skin. Fat grafting led to significant improvement
'both from an aesthetic and functional point of view'. The skin in the scarred area became 'softer and more flexible and extensible, and very often color seem[ed] similar to the surrounding unharmed skin.' After fat grafting, the patients had decreased pain and increased scar elasticity. Improvement began within 2 weeks, continued through 3 months, and persisted through 1 year and beyond. In a sub-group of patients, objective testing of skin hardness and clinical ratings by doctors and patients provided further evidence of treatment benefits.
Improved motion Treatment was associated with improved motion in areas where movement was limited because of tightness and stiffness of contracted scars. For example, in patients with scarring after burns to the face, fat grafting led to improved facial motion. In recent years,
there has been renewed interest in techniques using the patient's own fat for reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery. The new experience suggests that fat grafting may provide an effective new 'regenerative medicine' technique for patients with difficult-to-treat scars.
Fat grafting led to significant improvement 'both from an
aesthetic and functional point of view'. The skin in the scarred area became 'softer and more flexible and extensible'.
10 ❚ October 2013 |
prime-journal.com
LEO PHARMA COMPLETE PHASE III
LEO Pharma has announced the completion of the Phase III FIELD Study 1 — the largest ever, 1-year evaluation of field treatment with ingenol mebutate gel for actinic keratosis (AK) after initial cryosurgery of individual AK lesions, compared to cryosurgery followed by a vehicle gel. The study involved more than 300 patients across 35 trial sites and is also the first to evaluate field treatment with ingenol mebutate gel subsequent to cryosurgery. LEO Pharma reported that the study met
its efficacy and safety endpoints at 11 weeks and 12 months. The 11-week results are expected to be published by the end of 2013, with publication of the 1-year data expected in the first half of 2014. AKs are rough skin lesions caused by cumulative UV exposure from the sun, which can lead to non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) if not treated early and effectively. Some treatments target single visible lesions (lesion-directed therapy), while others target an area or field, where visible and sub-clinical (invisible) lesions are located (field-directed therapy).
Promising results Brian Berman, MD, PhD, Voluntary Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the US, and lead investigator in the FIELD Study 1, commented: 'The results of this study are very promising. The 12-month data show sustained patient benefits beyond those the 11-week results indicated. These data provide important evidence for the beneficial role of Picato® field-directed treatment in combination with cryosurgery, in achieving clearance of sub-clinical lesions in the field and preventing further AK lesion recurrence.' Picato® is a topical, field-directed therapy which is self-administered by the patient to the affected areas of the skin once daily for 2 or 3 consecutive days, depending on the treatment location. It has demonstrated efficacy in clearing AK lesions on the face and scalp, as well as on the trunk and extremities, in a large clinical trial programme.
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