title: A 1-Year Follow-Up of Post-operative Scars After the Use of a 1210-nm Laser-Assisted Skin Healing (LASH) Technology: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laser therapies are used prophylactically for excessive scar formation. The Laser-Assisted Skin Healing treatment induces a controlled heat stress that promotes tissue regeneration. This comparative trial is the first to evaluate the performance of a new automated 1210-nm laser system, compatible with all Fitzpatrick scale phototypes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty women undergoing bilateral breast reduction were enrolled in this double-blinded randomized controlled trial. The horizontal sutured incision of one breast was treated with the portable 1210-nm laser while in the operating theatre. The other breast was used as the study control. Objective measurements, subjective clinical assessments and safety evaluation were carried out over 1 year by both clinicians and patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six weeks following surgery, better overall appearance and modified OSAS scores were reported for the laser-treated scars when compared to the control group (p = 0.024 and p = 0.079). This supports an early effect of the laser treatment during the inflammatory stage of the healing process. After a post-treatment period of 6 months, there continued to be a strong tendency in favour of the laser treatment based on the subjective scores and corroborated by the objective improvement of the treated scar volume (p = 0.038). At 1 year, the laser-treated scars continued to improve compared to the control ones in terms of volume (p = 0.004), surface (p = 0.017) and roughness (p = 0.002), and these comparatively better results were strengthened with the blind expression of patients' preference for their laser-treated scar (p = 0.025).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new 1210-nm laser treatment, used as a single session performed immediately after surgery, provides significant objective and subjective improvements in scar appearance. These data can be useful when preparing patients to undergo their surgical procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital La Conception, APHM, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13385, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital La Conception, APHM, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13385, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alliez
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital La Conception, APHM, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13385, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital La Conception, APHM, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13385, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gonelli
authors.affiliation: Laboratoires Urgo, 42 Rue de Longvic, BP 157, 21304, Chenôve, France.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lemdjadi
authors.affiliation: Laboratoires Urgo, 42 Rue de Longvic, BP 157, 21304, Chenôve, France. s.bohbot@fr.urgo.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2863-4705
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bohbot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
keywords: Aesthetic surgery; Heat shock protein (HSP); Laser; Laser-Assisted Skin Healing (LASH); Scar prevention; Surgical scar