Recommendations for the prevention and therapy of hypertrophic scars and keloids

Hypertrophic scars and keloids form due to aberrations in the physiologic wound healing cascade characterized by greater and more sustained ECM deposition. Both entities are frequently associated with pain, pruritus and contractures, and are thus significantly affecting the patient's quality of life. Genetic susceptibility, specific anatomic locations, prolonged inflammation and delayed epithelialization significantly contribute to excessive scar formation. However, despite intensive scientific work in this field the complex mechanisms underlying the processes of scarring and wound contraction remain poorly understood and most therapeutic approaches are clinically unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, based on a rising number of clinical studies next to well-known therapeutic concepts including cryotherapy and intralesional triamcinolone, recent techniques extend the spectrum for treating excessive scars. Nonetheless, prevention of pathologic scarring is undoubtedly more effective than to later attempts to treat it.