Skip to main content

Scars clinical trials at University of California Health

7 in progress, 4 open to eligible people

Showing trials for
  • Aesthetic Outcome of Tie-over Bolster Application in Surgical Wounds

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    When patients have surgery on the head and face, stitches are the standard way to close the wound. Wounds always result in a scar, but doctors are always looking for ways to reduce scarring. Several studies have been done to test ways to close wounds that reduce scarring. One idea is to reduce the tension around the cut. One way to reduce tension is to stitch a small piece of a special gauze over the top of the regular stitches. This procedure is called a "tie-over bolster dressing." As the name implies, this extra dressing "bolsters" the wound closure so that the skin on each side of the cut stays in place. The bolster dressing procedure has been used in the past in special cases, such as when skin grafts are necessary. The bolster dressing helps the skin graft heal by making sure the graft stays exactly in place. Keeping the wound stable with a bolster dressing also reduces bleeding under the wound. For non-grafted wounds, the bolster dressing procedure has not normally been used, and has not been well-studied. In this study the whole wound will be stitched normally and then the bolster dressing will be applied over half of the wound. This will allow us to see if the side with the bolster dressing heals with less scarring.

    at UC Davis

  • Influence of Sun Protection and Linear Repair of Cutaneous Surgical Defects

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The purpose of this study is to determine the potential influence of sun protection on the aesthetic outcome of post-surgical scars following the reconstruction of Mohs micrographic surgery defects via linear repair. This study will be performed as a randomized split-wound study. Half of the wound will be treated with zinc containing sunscreen and the other half of the wound would not be treated. Three-months post-surgery, the scar will be evaluated via the patient observer scar assessment scale (POSAS), a validated scar instrument, as well as a colorimeter to measure the amount of vascularity, and hyperpigmentation between the treated and the non-treated area compared to the 'surrounding skin' defined as skin in the proximity but not adjacent to the wound. Any adverse events will also be recorded.

    at UC Davis

  • Outcomes of Running Locking Suture vs Standard Running Suture in Surgical Wounds

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    When patients have surgery on the head and face, stitches are the standard way to close the wound. Wounds always result in a scar, but doctors are always looking for ways to reduce scarring. Several studies have been done to test ways to close wounds that reduce scarring. The most commonly performed closure technique uses running sutures, where a single strand of suture is continued along the length of the wound with a series of uninterrupted stiches. However, alternative closure techniques exist such as the running locking suture, which can offer advantages such as improved tension and thus reduce post-operative complications with better aesthetic outcome. In this study, half the wound will be stitched with standard running sutures and the other half will be stitched with running locking sutures. This will allow us to see if the side with running locking sutures heals with less scarring.

    at UC Davis

  • Pinch Grafting Versus Second Intention Wound Healing for Mohs Micrographic Surgery Defects on the Scalp

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Oftentimes, following surgery on the scalp, wounds are left to heal by themselves. This is called "second intention." Open wounds left to heal on the scalp often take 8 weeks or more to completely heal. We are investigating how second intention closure compares to another established reconstruction technique, called "pinch graft." In the pinch graft technique, we numb and then shave off a thin piece of skin (usually from the groin area) and place it in the wound bed it (also known as "grafting"), to encourage growth of new healthy skin. This study will compare time-to-healing in the second intention method versus the pinch graft method.

    at UC Davis

  • Aesthetic Outcome of Layered Closure vs. Layered Closure Followed by 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Following skin surgeries on the head and neck, several surgeons use a type of surgical glue (such as Dermabond) as a final layer on the top of wound. This glue is thought to seal the wound. Up until this point, there is limited data about the exact advantages or disadvantages of using this glue. We wish to determine if there is a difference in the cosmetic outcome of the scar when the glue is applied compared to when the glue is not applied. In addition, we want to determine if patients prefer to care for a wound with or without the glue.

    at UC Davis

  • Aesthetic Outcome of Running Subcuticular Suture Versus Running Horizontal Mattress Suture Closure of Linear Wounds on the Trunk and Extremities

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of running subcuticular suture versus running horizontal mattress suture for the repair of cutaneous linear wounds on the trunk and extremities affects aesthetic outcomes. The study team will use a split wound model, where half of the wound is repaired with running subcuticular sutures and the other half is repaired with running horizontal mattress sutures. Three-months post-surgery, the scar will be evaluated via the patient observer scar assessment scale (POSAS), a validated scar instrument, as well as the trace-to-tape method, an objective outcome measure for linear postoperative scars. Any adverse events will also be recorded.

    at UC Davis

  • Undermining Apices in Surgical Wounds

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    When patients have surgery on the neck, trunk, arms, or legs, stitches are the standard way to close the wound. Wounds always result in a scar, but doctors are always looking for ways to reduce scarring. Several studies have been done to test ways to close wounds that reduce scarring. One idea is to reduce the tension around the cut. One way to reduce tension is to free up the skin around the wound. This procedure is also called "undermining". Some studies have shown that freeing up the skin near the tips of the wound, called the "apices," is helpful for improving the cosmetic outcome of scars. This study will investigate if there are any differences in the appearances of the scar if one tip is undermined and the other is not.

    at UC Davis

Our lead scientists for Scars research studies include .

Last updated: