According to many sources, burn scars are hard to treat. Burns are unpredictable; they produce a variation of scar types, including keloid and hypertrophic and they can become thicker and harder as they age. Not only are they uncomfortable, itchy (for some) and sore, they can also impede movement and flexibility depending on their location and severity. And that's without even venturing into the aesthetic side of things...Today I heard about a procedure called 'micro-needling' from a friend who is looking into having it done. It's not something I've come across so I thought I'd see what I could find out about it. The net can be a shady place for all things medical but I've found a couple of interesting odds and ends...
Micro-needling is mainly used for cosmetic purposes it seems, in the Madonna-esque quest for perfect, youthful skin. Indeed site after site shouted slogans similar to this gem, 'proven skin rejuvenation treatment great for reducing signs of aging!' Yet this procedure can also be used for great means...to give burn survivors back a better version of their skin.
The way Micro-needling works (and I'm no Doctor/Scientist so Doctors/Scientists feel free to correct me!) is that tiny (micro) needles are rollered over the skin in order to promote collagen production. These needles are usually tiny because the idea is not to create a wound as such but just enough trauma to trigger the wound healing process, i.e. the production of collagen.
Collagen is a term bandied about a lot so I'll take a moment here to explain it. It's a type of protein found in the body and is the building block of our skin. As we get older we stop being able to produce collagen so well and this results in the appearance of fine lines and slacker skin. According to one site we stop producing it at 40! This might be where some run for the hills (or to the nearest collagen-injecting clinic) because without collagen in our skin we begin to age. Scars are also made from collagen but it is laid down in a different structure. This abnormal structure is more susceptible to sun damage, reduced elasticity, nerve issues and also does not grow hair as it doesn't contain follicles. It also looks very different to 'normal' skin.
In theory, puncturing the skin very slightly stimulates the bodies need to repair itself and so collagen is produced to fill in the gaps. Micro-needling of scarred areas could prompt the body to have another go at healing itself, just in a more controlled manner. Scarring happens because the body is trying to 'fix' itself and it isn't so controlled, resulting in unpredictable laying down of collagen in order to close the wound, causing redness, bumpiness and so on. According to one site I looked at (see links below) the needles should be very small. Although the needles are only milimetres long, the characteristically thickened skin of a burn scar means that topical anesthetic creams might not be effective and so it still could be quite painful. Therefore, it might be necessary to complete the procedure under general anesthetic. It also takes a very long time (months) to see results with micro-needling as burn scars take a long time to change. For someone who has lived with a burn scar this is not so much of an issue...we are used to being told to 'wait. It's still early days!' The positive changes include flatter scar tissue and reduction in inflammation and redness.
One of the sites that kept coming up was the 'official medical Dermaroller' which has some photos of patients that have had micro-needling click here for images.
The most informative site I visited was written by the inventor of Dermaroller, Horst Liebl: http://www.dermaroller.com/en/scar-treatment/all-about-scars as it had a section all about burn scars and 'the real and dramatic therapeutic breakthrough for the successful treatment and improvement of burn scars.' 'In all cases a significant aesthetic improvement could be achieved.'
If anyone has had, or knows someone who has had this procedure please let readers know how you got on in the comments box below!
http://www.dermaroller.com/
http://plasticsurgery.about.com/b/2010/01/26/is-micro-needling-too-good-to-be-true.htm
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