Platelet Rich Plasma: Is it Effective in Treatment of Atrophic Scar?

Introduction: Atrophic scar is the result of decreasecollagen production and matrix formation, that's why managementof atrophic scar is challenging for plastic surgeons.PRP plays an important role in tissue regeneration duringwound healing via release of growth factors that have animportant role in the regulation and proliferation of mesenchymaland fibroblast cells, hence it increase collagen productionand improve wound healing. The main goal of thearticle is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologousplatelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in improvement ofatrophic scar.Patients and Methods: Twenty patients with atrophic scarwere included in this study at plastic surgery department,Assiut university hospital, in duration from July 2016 toFebruary 2017. Mean age was 22.68±6.75 years. Patientswere randomly divided into 2 groups to allow equal distribution.Group 1 (control), underwent scar revision only. Group2 (study), underwent scar revision, followed by immediatelyintradermal autologous Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injectionat the edges of the wound. This was followed by PRP injectionevery month for the next five months. Patients with atrophicnon pigmented scars at any region of the body were included.Any case with history of medical co-morbidities also wasexcluded. Scar width, Vancouver scar scale (VSS), surgeonassessment scar scale, patient assessment scar scale andcomplications, were the outcome measurements.Results: Surgeon assessment scar scale, VSS, and patientassessment scar scale showed no significant difference (pvalue<0.05) between the two groups preoperative, whilethere was significant clinical improvement of the resultingscar in group II compared to group I six months postoperatively,No complications were noticed in both groups.Conclusion: We conclude that intradermal injection ofautologous PRP in an atrophic scar after its revision could beconsidered as a promising option for atrophic scar managementas it improves wound healing process that appears in theimprovement of clinical appearance of the scar.