Treatment of traumatic scars using fat grafts mixed with platelet-rich plasma, and resurfacing of skin with the 1540 nm nonablative laser

• Published in: Clinical and experimental dermatology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 55 - 61
• Main Authors: Cervelli, V., Nicoli, F., Spallone, D., Verardi, S., Sorge, R., Nicoli, M., Balzani, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2012; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Abdominal Fat - transplantation; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cicatrix - pathology; Cicatrix - surgery; Combined Modality Therapy - methods; Dermatology; Female; Humans; Laser Therapy - methods; Lasers; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Plasma; Platelet-Rich Plasma; Wound healing; Wound Healing - physiology; Young Adult; Platelet; Treatment; Dermatology; Scar; Laser; Graft; Skin; Trauma; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 0307-6938; 1365-2230
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2011.04199.x

Summary Background.  Many treatments have been proposed for cosmetic or functional improvement of scars. It is known that fat grafts and laser treatment can have beneficial effects on remodelling of scar tissue, and platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) can be effective during the wound‐healing process. We hypothesized that these combined treatments would be effective in improving traumatic scars, with minimal recovery time and few side‐effects. Aim.  The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the efficacy of three procedures for the treatment of traumatic scars. Methods.  We treated 60 patients affected by traumatic scars involving different body parts. All patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups (20 patients per group) and underwent one of three different procedures. Group A was treated with fat grafts mixed with PRP, group B was treated with nonablative laser, and group C was treated with both procedures. Results.  Comparison of the groups showed that PRP produced a significant difference in these treatments. The most effective scar treatment was the combination of fat grafts mixed with PRP plus nonablative laser resurfacing (group C). This treatment resulted in group C having an increase of 22% in wound healing compared with group A, and an increase of 11% compared with group B. Conclusions.  The data confirm the efficacy of all three treatments, with the most effective scar treatment being the fat grafts mixed with PRP, followed by skin resurfacing with nonablative laser. This combined treatment appeared to be safe and effective for scar treatment. Further studies are needed to explore the potential use of this combined treatment.