1. Comparison of Silicone Sheets and Paper Tape for the Management of Postoperative Scars: A Randomized Comparative Study
- Author
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Ying-Sheng Lin, Kuei-Chang Hsu, and Pei-San Ting
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ,Visual Analog Scale ,Visual analogue scale ,Surgical Wound ,Scars ,Dermatology ,law.invention ,Silicone Gels ,Cicatrix ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Silicone ,Randomized controlled trial ,law ,medicine ,Humans ,Postoperative scars ,Surgical Tape ,Pain Measurement ,Advanced and Specialized Nursing ,Cesarean Section ,Paper tape ,business.industry ,030208 emergency & critical care medicine ,Surgical wound ,Surgery ,Treatment Outcome ,chemistry ,Female ,Dermatologic Agents ,medicine.symptom ,Surgical tape ,business - Abstract
Objective To compare the effectiveness of silicone sheets and paper tape in the prevention of postoperative cesarean section scars. Methods Patients undergoing horizontal cesarean section were included in this randomized controlled trial. Surgical wounds were divided into two halves. Patients randomly applied silicone sheets or paper tape to each side of their wound as assigned for 3 months. Wounds were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Researchers used the objective Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) to evaluate the scars and the subjective visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate itch, pain, and scar appearance. Results No significant differences between the silicone sheet and paper tape groups were noted at postoperative follow-ups with respect to VSS scores. The silicone sheet group had significantly better VAS scores for scar appearance than the paper tape group at 6 (6.81 ± 1.47 vs 6.19 ± 1.62, P = .03) and 12 (6.88 ± 2.01 vs 6.2 ± 2.08, P = .04) months' follow-up, respectively. Conclusions The silicone sheet group showed statistically significant differences in comparison with the paper tape group in terms of scar appearance as determined by the VAS. However, the differences were too small to be clinically meaningful.
- Published
- 2020