Laser resurfacing techniqu es have become a popular means ofachie ving reju venation of dama ged skin. Int erest is great in att empting to speed re-epithelialization and healing so that pa tients can return to their normal activities as quickly as possibl e. Previous studies have demonstrated that wounds heal more quickly when they are cove red and kept mo ist than when they are left open to the air. Until now, no study has been conducte d to investigate whether the healing process of a supe rficial skin bum might be acce lerated by the use ofan autologous pla telet gel as a biologic dressing. Our study offive pigs showed that autologo us platelet gel can influ ence wound healin g by stimulating an intense infl ammatory process that leads to highly significant increases in the production ofextracellular matrices and granulation tissue. The platelet gel accelerated vascular ingrowth, increase d fi broblastic proliferation, and accelerated collagen production. However, the gel did not appear to accelerate re-epithelialization. The aggressiv e production of granulation tissu e and the accelerat ion of collagen produ ction might mean that autologous platelet gel will hav e a future role in the treatm ent ofbums because the highly vasc ularized bed it helps crea te should promote the success of skin graf ting in patients with deep partial-thickn ess and full-thickness bum s.
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