Scarring: The Final Frontier

By: Olivia Young
Created on 25th March 2010

The risk of scarring is a major consideration when planning non-essential surgery and can be hugely off-putting. However, a new treatment from Advantech Surgical could be about to change the face of scarring forever...

Two hundred years ago when a surgeon picked up his scalpel to make an incision four things were assured; the wound would bleed, it would hurt the patient, there was a high risk of infection and a scar would form.

The first three factors are all critical to patient survival, and therefore have been the subject of much research and innovation. However scars, though distressing, are not a matter of life or death and so have not been so thoroughly researched.

In recent years this has changed and there have been great steps forward in scar management. One of the most notable of these is the EkkyLite Laser Assisted Skin Healing system (LASH) from Advantech Surgical.

The EkkyLite treatment is provided at the time of surgery and is quick and painless. Once the surgeon has closed the wound, a self-adhesive safety strip is applied to the skin just below the wound. This strip controls the laser hand piece and contains safety mechanisms to ensure there is no risk to the patient. The laser is then positioned and fired.

Mr Henderson at the Spire Leicester Hospital has become the UK's first plastic surgeon to routinely offer the system: "The EkkyLite Laser offers the best prospect of improved scar quality of any device or technique since the introduction of silicone gel to scar control."

The system works by heating the skin around the wound to a constant level for a short period of time. This causes the body to over-produce naturally occurring proteins which alter the healing process and lead the skin to repair itself with less of the hard, fibrous collagen that is normally found in scar tissue and more of the soft, supple collagen.

Research has shown that wounds treated with this or similar lasers, heal around 30 per cent faster, are around 50 per cent stronger and the resulting scars are significantly improved compared to untreated wounds. The research also indicates that laser treatment can prevent the occurrence of red, raised scars known as hypertrophic scars.

The EkkyLite LASH treatment is particularly suited to long straight scars such as those caused by tummy tucks or c-sections but can be used virtually anywhere.

The system is fully certified and licensed for use in the EU and its benefits have been clinically proven with patient follow up over two years. As this is a new technology longer follow up has not yet been possible. Mr Henderson's view is that "we don't yet have long-term results but the early results are very promising".

As these images show, the results that can be achieved with just one treatment with the EkkyLite LASH System can be quite dramatic. It is important to note that the final result of the treatment in terms of improved scar aspect will not be evident until 10 to 14 months post op when the wound has fully matured although the benefits of reduced itching, redness and tightening of the wound site are usually noticed around two weeks following the procedure.

So now, in the same way that you don't need to put up with the pain of surgery or hopefully the risk of infection anymore, neither do you need to suffer discomfort post-operatively or carry a reminder with you in the form of a nasty scar.