Ultraphonophoresis of an enzyme gel with direct proteolytic activity in patients with hypertrophic skin scars

BACKGROUND: Correction and prevention of severe cicatricial deformities is a labor-intensive task for doctors of aesthetic and rehabilitation medicine. Often, as a result of skin scarring, the psychological status of the patient changes due to the presence of persistent subjective sensations or the location of defects in open, functionally active areas of the skin. The steady annual growth in trauma, the number of surgical interventions and invasive procedures actualizes the question of finding an optimal, effective and widely available method for preventing severe skin scarring or correcting fibrous deformities. AIM: scientific and practical substantiation of the use of enzyme gel ultraphonophoresis with direct proteolytic activity in patients with hypertrophic skin scars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective interventional cohort comparative study of the efficacy and safety of enzyme gel ultraphonophoresis with direct proteolytic activity in patients with hypertrophic skin scars was performed. The study included 42 patients with a diagnosis of "Hypertrophic scars" (ICD-10, L91) of postoperative or post-traumatic genesis, divided into observation and comparison groups with emerging (n=20) and mature (n=22) scars. In the course of the study, clinical, instrumental and medical and sociological research methods were used. RESULTS: A pronounced positive dynamic of indicators of clinical and instrumental parameters of scar tissue was established, improvement of quality-of-life indicators was the most significant in patients of the observation group with developing scars. The expediency of using the enzyme gel ultraphonophoresis technique with direct proteolytic activity in patients with hypertrophic skin scars is confirmed by a combination of parameters: positive dynamics of the clinical status, functional properties of scar tissue and quality of life indicators, a high safety profile and patient satisfaction with treatment. The effectiveness of correction in patients with developing and mature hypertrophic scars was 83–87%. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic and preventive technology of enzyme gel ultraphonophoresis with direct proteolytic activity is an effective and promising method for the correction and prevention of postoperative and post-traumatic cicatricial skin defects.