Better than stitches
Researchers from George Washington University evaluated the effectiveness of collagen powder for healing skin wounds after a biopsy.
Collagen is known as the most important structural component of many organs, especially the skin. It also plays a special role in regulating all phases of wound healing. When applied externally, collagen powder stops bleeding, attracts immune cells and skin cells to the wound, and also stimulates the formation of new blood vessels. Collagen does not cause irritation and does not provoke bacterial growth. During wound healing, collagen stimulates cell proliferation and the deposition of new collagen.
Collagen has been used as a component of healing drugs before, but the comparison of the effect of collagen powder with the healing process during suturing has never been performed.
The researchers performed two puncture skin biopsies on eight volunteers and treated part of the wounds with collagen powder daily. In the control group, non-absorbable sutures were applied to the wounds. After four weeks, a second biopsy was performed: skin samples taken from healed wounds were analyzed. The volunteers were asked to describe the sensations during the healing process (the presence of itching, pain and other symptoms).
The researchers found that six of the eight collagen-treated wounds completely healed four weeks after the first wound, all wounds completely healed eight weeks after the second biopsy. Volunteers reported similar intensity of pain and itching in both cases of healing. The healing results in terms of speed and quality were approximately comparable with local collagen injection with healing without treatment (suture). Collagen powder is safe for at least four weeks.
Taking into account the time spent on suturing and removing stitches, the cost of manipulation and the potential cost of collagen powder, the use of the latter may be easier and more comfortable for the patient with comparable or possibly better wound healing. The study is quite small and describes only cases of puncture biopsy. It is necessary to conduct a larger study to find out the features of the use of collagen on larger wounds of diverse origin.
Article by A. Friedman et al. A Head-to-Head Comparison of Topical Collagen Powder to Primary Closure for Acute Full-Thickness Punch Biopsy-Induced Human Wounds: An Internally Controlled Pilot Study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on materials from George Washington University: GW Pilot Study Finds Collagen to Be Effective in Wound Closure.