Mechanical strain causes hypertrophic scarring in vivo by blocking fibroblast apoptosis in the proliferative phase of wound healing

INTRODUCTION: Pathophysiology of hypertrophic scarring remains unclear. Possible etiology includes mechanical strain, burns, or infection. We selectively examined mechanical strain, and developed a novel murine model whereby hypertrophic scars are created by mechanical strain alone. Since apoptosis is important in transitioning from proliferative to remodeling phases of wound healing, we specifically examined apoptosis in hypertrophic scarring.