ELASTIC FIBERS IN SCAR TISSUE

The capacity of the skin to be stretched and to return to its resting position is correlated to the quantity and to the quality of the elast ic fiber network. Although elastic fibers have been demonstrated in sc ars, the time course of their appearance in scars and their role in sc ar elasticity has not been elucidated. A study was therefore undertake n to evaluate the elastic fiber network in scars. The scars studied we re from re-excision specimens following a biopsy performed for a benig n or a malignant process. A total of 182 scars were evaluated in patie nts of different age groups. Miller's elastic tissue stain, considered to be superior to Verhoeff's van Giesen stain, was used. No elastic f ibers were detected in any of 116 scars which were of less than 3 mont hs' duration. In 66 scars present for over 3 months, a progressive inc rease in elastic fibers was present, first as focal and thin fibers, t hen as diffuse and thicker fibers, For scars of the same duration, a r egional difference was noted in that scars from the back contained mor e and thicker elastic fibers than those from the cheek. When patients were stratified according to age, no appreciable difference was noted in the density of elastic fibers in both new and old scars between the different age groups. These results show that the synthesis of elasti c tissue fibers in scars is a function of duration and site of the sca r. (C) Munksgaard 1996.