Micro-needling - improving burn scars?

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

ReCell - a new 'scar-spray' treatment from Avita Medical

Luckily for me, my Mum was tuned into BBC1's 'Inside Out' East this week and came across a fantastic new treatment for scars that I'm very excited about!

The treatment works by harvesting a tiny patch of skin from your body. The area selected will have a similar colour and texture to the area you are trying to fix. The piece of skin is put in a little machine that whizzes it round and pulls all your cells off the skin. While this is being done, laser dermabrasion is used on your scarring to flatten it. The skin cells from the 'whizzed up' harvested skin are collected and suspended in a clear fluid. This fluid is sprayed onto the dermabraded area of your scarring and then it's all covered up. In 7 days, your skin cells will have begun to grow your own skin, right over the scarred area. Once the skin has settled (and I know from experience I'm in the early days, this can take 2 years) you could have your normal pigmentation and texture back in your scarred area. In effect you have used 'spray on skin' to grow your own skin back. The skin will even have melolin in it, so it will no longer be as sun-sensitive as normal scarring and will have 'normal' pigmentation.

According to Avita Medical: 'Tissue collection, cell segregation and preparation of the cell suspension takes approximately 20-30 minutes in total during which time the treatment area is prepared. Once processed, the cell suspension is available for immediate use and can cover a treatment area up to 80 times the area of the donor biopsy.'

It can also be used to help donor sites heal after a skin graft. This would be a great use of the procedure. My donor site didn't heal well at all and took several weeks of agony before it finally decided to grow new skin. The skin is still very discoloured due to the slow healing. A treatment like this may have helped avoid such a horrible situation.

The makers of the treatment have also used it on smaller burns when they are new, to help them heal.

It sounds too good to be true!!! It's worth watching it on Inside Out, as you can see the treatment in action.
INSIDE OUT EAST - VIDEO LINK - click here

I'm very excited by this procedure as it means that after my (long and dreary) 2 year wait, if I'm not happy with my 'natural' results, I might be able to improve them. At this point, if someone told me what I have now is what I will be left with, I would freak out. I am planning to heal well but sometimes, the body has other ideas! It's nice to know there are treatments like this coming out.



If anyone knows more about this treatment or has had it themselves, please could you send me an email or drop a comment in the box below? It would be great to hear some first hand experiences. Thanks!

AVITA MEDICAL









WARNING: There are a few pictures on the Medical Site that might turn your stomach if you are, like me, sensitive to burn pictures.