A pilot study of noninvasive methods to assess healed acute and chronic wounds

BACKGROUND. A variety of instruments are available that can objectively ass ess physical parameters of the skin such as strength, firmness, elasticity, hydration, and color, often undetected by clinical assessment. OBJECTIVE. To assess the physical properties of healed acute and chronic wo unds using several noninvasive instruments. METHODS. Four patients with healed acute wounds and four patients with heal ed chronic wounds were studied using ballistometric, impedance, levarometri c, and spectrophotometric measurements. RESULTS. In general, scars were harder, less elastic, dryer, and more eryth ematous than control skin. These differences were more pronounced in healed chronic wounds. CONCLUSION. A scar from an acute surgical wound becomes softer, more elasti c, dryer, less erythematous, and less pigmented as it ages. In contrast, ch ronic wound scars become harder as they age, These different properties of healed acute wounds and healed chronic wounds may be a result of the differ ent healing processes in each wound type.