STUDY OF PRESSURE EFFECT ON HYPERTROPHIC SCAR TISSUES

Abstract of thesis entitled: Study of Pressure Effect on Hypertrophic Scar Tissues submitted by Lai Hoi Yan, Candy for degree of Master of Philosophy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in December 2008.of thesis entitled: Study of Pressure Effect on Hypertrophic Scar Tissues submitted by Lai Hoi Yan, Candy for degree of Master of Philosophy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in December 2008. Hypertrophic scar is a dermal fibroproliferative disorder following dermal skin trauma. This skin abnormality is characterized as raised, rigid and erythematous appearance associated with pain and pruritus. Not only would it cause severe cosmetic disfigurement, but considerable functional impairment often results if scar contracture develops over joints. Pressure therapy has been the widely applied in scar management since the early 1970s because of its non-invasive characteristics and desirable treatment effect. The optimal pressure dose, nevertheless, remains undefined, due to the lack of objective scar assessment tools and precise pressure measurement apparatus. Pressure therapy has been hypothesized to manage scarring by down-regulating fibroblast activities, however, its mechanisms have not yet been fully understood. To better understand the mechanisms, an in-vitro study was conducted to examine the biological activities of hypertrophic scar fibroblasts in response to mechanical pressure. The fibroblasts were cultured on cover-slips with diameter 13mm at a density of 2 x 10 under different loadings of mechanical pressures (0g, 2g, 5g and 10g) for 48 hours. Fibroblasts were harvested on Day 0, Day 2 and two days after unloading (Post-day 2)