Outcome of fat injection in treatment of retracted scars

Abstract

Background: Fat grafting was developed in recent years with refinement mainly based on Coleman technique. The method consists of taking fat removed by liposuction under low pressure, fat processing and then placement of fat on the treated area.Methods: Patients who presented with depressed or retracted scars were considered. 12 patients were selected for the study as one year. Patients were given fat injection by Coleman’s technique and were evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months. Patient and observer scar assessment score (POSAS) was used for evaluation.Results: The present study infers that there is a significant decrease in POSAS score on both the patient and observer side after fat injection for retracted scars. The overall patient score decreased from 5.75 (±0.866 SD) pre-operatively to 3.17 (±1.115 SD) post-operatively with a p value of less than 0.005. The difference between the scores is 2.58 which are comparable to other studies. The overall observer score decreased from 4.25 (±1.422 SD) pre-operatively to 2.58 (±0.996) post-operatively with a p value of less than 0.005. The difference between the scores is 1.67 which is comparable to other studies.Conclusions: Autologous fat grafting seems to be a promising and effective therapeutic approach for scars with different origins such as trauma, burns, post-surgery. In general, we can affirm that treated areas regain characteristics similar to normal skin, which are clinically perceptible, leading not only to aesthetic but also functional results.