TLDR New effective scar treatments are urgently needed due to the current options' limited success.
The document from 2018 reviews the science behind cutaneous scarring, the roles of various cells and growth factors in wound healing, and the current and potential future treatments for scars. It explains that scarring can have significant functional and psychological impacts, particularly in children, and that despite understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved, effective treatments to prevent or reduce scarring are still lacking. The document highlights the importance of stem cells in skin regeneration and hair follicle formation, and the potential of targeting specific fibroblast populations and signaling pathways, such as TGF-ß, to develop new therapies. Current treatments, including surgical options, corticosteroid injections, laser therapy, and pressure garments, are not fully effective in preventing scarring. Novel treatments like Metelimumab and Imatinib mesylate have not shown promising results in clinical trials. The document concludes that there is a pressing need for new therapies to address the high prevalence and psychological impact of scarring.
480 citations,
August 2014 in “Nature Biotechnology” Changing the environment around stem cells could help tissue repair, but it's hard to be precise and avoid side effects.
49 citations,
March 2014 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Using the drugs AMD3100 and Tacrolimus together greatly improves skin healing and hair growth after a deep skin cut by increasing stem cells in the wound.
256 citations,
October 2013 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” Growing human skin cells in a 3D environment can stimulate new hair growth.
237 citations,
June 2013 in “Nature Medicine” A protein from certain immune cells is key for new hair growth after skin injury in mice.
156 citations,
October 2012 in “Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology” Different types of stem cells in hair follicles play unique roles in wound healing and hair growth, with some stem cells not originating from existing hair follicles but from non-hair follicle cells. WNT signaling and the Lhx2 factor are key in creating new hair follicles.
265 citations,
July 2012 in “Cell” The study found that sweat glands contain different types of stem cells that help with healing and maintaining healthy skin.
330 citations,
December 2009 in “Cell stem cell” SKPs are similar to adult skin stem cells and could help in skin repair and hair growth.
153 citations,
October 2007 in “Cell Stem Cell” New research suggests that skin cell renewal may not require a special type of cell previously thought to be essential.
58 citations,
June 2006 in “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery” Mice healed without scars as fetuses but developed scars as adults, suggesting scarless healing might be replicated with further research.
89 citations,
January 2009 in “Advances in Clinical Chemistry” Fetal skin heals without scarring due to unique cells and processes not present in adult skin healing.
29 citations,
September 2012 in “Birth Defects Research” Wounds heal without scarring in early development but later result in scars, and studying Wnt signaling could help control scarring.
August 2024 in “Life Science Alliance” Helminth protein helps wounds heal better by reducing scarring and promoting tissue growth.
359 citations,
January 2015 in “Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine” Hair growth phase and certain genes can speed up wound healing, while an inflammatory mediator can slow down new hair growth after a wound. Understanding these factors can improve tissue regeneration during wound healing.
115 citations,
December 2017 in “Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Developmental Biology” Skin cells called dermal fibroblasts are important for skin growth, hair growth, and wound healing.
