Minimize scarring in cosmetic surgery

Human skin is a complex tissue that shows properties that arise primarily from the alignment of the collagen fibers in the upper dermis layer of the skin, ultimately causing skin tension lines. These lines are essential during surgery, as they are used to guide incisions that produce the least conspicuous scars. While there are many skin tension guidelines which helps surgeons make incisions that create invisible scars, skin anisotropy or the skin's property of having directionally dependent mechanical properties.

Scientists have developed a new device that could help in minimise the scarring during or after surgery by ascertaining the orientation of skin tension lines, which is very much important for wound-healing after surgery. If we make incisions across the direction that collagen is aligned, the risk of keloid scar formation is increased but when we cut along the direction of the aligned collagen then wounds heals better with less scar formation.

Surgeons currently use either skin tension line maps or manual manipulation to find the local orientation of skin tension to guide these decisions during surgery.  Now the new device is more efficient than these methods, as it only uses a single test that lasts a few seconds to measure skin tension orientation.

Surgeons hope that this device will one day be a common piece of equipment in operating rooms. Surgeons will use the device to establish quick and accurate skin tension line directions, and plan their incisions to minimize scarring.