ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF HYPERTROPHIC SCAR AND NORMAL SKIN TISSUE USING PROTON-INDUCED X-RAY-EMISSION

Hypertrophic scars are a particular type of scar that can form after a ny type of dermal trauma. They are unsightly, red and elevated above n ormal skin level. At present no-one knows why these scars form and wha t form the treatment should take. Full thickness hypertrophic skin tis sue as well as full thickness normal skin samples, obtained form the R estoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT), Institute of Plast ic Surgery, Mount Vernon Hospital, were analysed, using simultaneously both PIXE and RES, with a 2 MeV proton beam. The epidermis was compar ed to the dermis on both normal and scarred tissue, and each was compa red to the other, to see if there were any variations in elemental com position. In all the samples C, N and O detected by RES and P, S, CI, K, Ca, Fe detected by PIXE were found. In the majority of samples Zn a nd Cd were found, and in a few samples Sn was determined. Significant differences in concentrations, for the elements P, S, K and Cd, betwee n the epidermis and dermis in both hypertrophic scarred and normal ski n tissue were found. A difference was also detected between elemental concentrations in normal and scarred skin for the elements Ca P, S, Fe and Cd.