Hydration and hypoxic-occlusion therapy (gel-wrap treatment) for hypertrophic scars and keloids

Abstract

Keloids and hypertrophic scars are pathological fibroproliferative disorders characterized by excessive collagen deposition. The affected skin becomes raised and thickened, forming firm pink or red plaques. Common causes include trauma, burn, and surgery. Multiple studies on keloids and hypertrophic scars have been reported previously, leading to the development of various therapeutic approaches for them, most of which remain clinically unsatisfactory. In this study, three patients underwent the gel-wrap treatment: the gel (manufactured by ITO Co Ltd.) was applied to the lesion and the affected skin was wrapped with a polyvinylidene chloride film (Saran Wrap; Asahi Kasei Corporation). Satisfactory results were noted in all three cases. The gel-wrap treatment is more convenient and inexpensive than existing therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, reducing thymic stromal lymphopoietin seems crucial for the treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars.