title: Comparison of effectiveness of silicone gel sheeting with microporous paper tape in the prevention of hypertrophic scarring in a rabbit model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of treating scars with microporous paper tape or silicone gel sheeting (SGS) in preventing hypertrophic scarring.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty hypertrophic scars were induced in a validated rabbit ear model. Wounds were randomized and bandaged for 30 days with either SGS (20 wounds), paper tape (20 wounds), or untreated controls (40 wounds). Two outcome measures of hypertrophic scarring included (1) histologic measurement of scar elevation index (SEI) and (2) blinded photograph analysis using a visual analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In histologic comparison, no difference in mean (SE) SEI between treatment groups was seen (paper tape group, 1.32 [0.2]; SGS group, 1.41 [0.18]; control, 1.35 [0.23]; P = .51). In photographic analysis, both treatment groups were superior to the control group (P < .01), whereas no difference was seen between the SGS and paper tape groups (P = .88).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Paper tape and SGS demonstrated equal effectiveness in the prevention of hypertrophic scarring on visual analysis, whereas histologic analysis demonstrated no difference in treatment groups from controls. The effectiveness of paper tape in preventing hypertrophic scarring in humans will require further laboratory and clinical investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Davis Medical Center, 2521 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. tttollefson@gmail.com
authors.forename: Travis T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Tollefson
authors.forename: Faranak
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kamangar
authors.forename: Shervin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aminpour
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Blythe
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Durbin-Johnson
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tinling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages; D017439:Cicatrix, Hypertrophic / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D010781:Photography; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D020034:Silicone Gels / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D053832:Surgical Tape; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D020034:Silicone Gels