Research
The Scar Team based at The Bristol Nuffield Hospital are passionate about research into the field of wound healing and scarring. We are keen to understand why angry scars develop, how they can be prevented and which treatments really work. For this reason, we are actively involved with research that looks at every stage in the ‘scar journey’ from the chemicals and cells of an early wound to the psychological health of the patient. We are even involved with national studies to look at what resources we devote to scar care. We have a number of collaborators in groups around the world. They all share our ethos about the treatment of scarring.
A key part of our care will be looking at your treatment scientifically. In essence, we are looking to find evidence as to which of the standard treatments is the best at improving scars. We provide a wide range of standard techniques, but still the evidence concerning things such as the timing and repetition of treatments is lacking. Each time we see you, we will be asking you to fill in a couple of brief questionnaires that tell us how you rate your scar and also, we will ask your permission to take a photograph of your scar at each visit. We may even use some rather fancy machines which are quick and harmlessly look at ‘hard fact’ changes in the scar such as colour.
For these reasons, we ask all of our patients to agree to help out with our research programme. All of your data is anonymous, stored securely and you can opt out at any time. We will ask your permission to undertake this work and store your data securely – please ask us if you would like any more details. All our research findings will be fed back to those who contribute by email and via the Blog on this website. Stay tuned as we drive forward the science!
Treatment
The type of treatment required will depend upon the type of scar, its stage of healing and a number of other factors in your history such as prior treatments, other medical conditions and allergies.
Research
The Scar Team based at The Bristol Nuffield Hospital are passionate about research into the field of wound healing and scarring. We are keen to understand why angry scars develop
Support
As a patient with a significant scar, it can be difficult to know where to turn to for support in all its forms, from financial to patient groups.
Prevention
There is no guarantee that any one measure will prevent a scar from forming. This is despite some quite impressive claims made by the manufacturers of certain cosmetic products.