Objective evaluation of burn and post-surgical scars and the accuracy of subjective scar type judgment

The true proliferation degree of burn and operation scars during their maturation was poorly defined. The objective of this study was to provide a quantitative evaluation of the proliferation degree of deep-partial thickness burn and surgical suture wound scars after wound healing and the accuracy of subjective judgment of scar types.

A total of 423 patients in the burn group and 667 patients in the suture wound group were enrolled in this study. Objective scar measurement (by negative-positive moulage) was carried out at 3, 6 and 12 months after wound healing in 1090 patients from different regions in China. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and chi-square test were used in the statistical analysis.

The median degrees of scar proliferation were 0.03 cm at 3 months, 0.03 cm at 6 months and 0 cm at 12 months in the burn group and 0.05 cm, 0.04 cm and 0.04 cm respectively in the suture wound group. At 3 and 6 months post wound healing, there was no significant difference in scar proliferation between the groups (P > 0.01). After 1 year, burn scars displayed evidence of atrophy (P < 0.01). Although the degree of scar proliferation differed among the four scar types (P < 0.01), the ranges of scar height in the four scar types largely overlapped when judged in a subjective manner, especially in proliferation and superficial scars.

Scar atrophy occurs after one year in burns, but not in the surgical suture wound group. It is important to take anti-scar therapy for surgical wounds as well as burn wounds. The various scar types could not be judged precisely in a subjective manner.