Objective: To determine the effectiveness of treating scars with microporous paper tape or silicone gel sheeting (SGS) in preventing hypertrophic scarring.
Methods: Forty hypertrophic scars were induced in a validated rabbit ear model. Wounds were randomized and bandaged for 30 days with either SGS (20 wounds), paper tape (20 wounds), or untreated controls (40 wounds). Two outcome measures of hypertrophic scarring included (1) histologic measurement of scar elevation index (SEI) and (2) blinded photograph analysis using a visual analog scale.
Results: In histologic comparison, no difference in mean (SE) SEI between treatment groups was seen (paper tape group, 1.32 [0.2]; SGS group, 1.41 [0.18]; control, 1.35 [0.23]; P = .51). In photographic analysis, both treatment groups were superior to the control group (P < .01), whereas no difference was seen between the SGS and paper tape groups (P = .88).
Conclusions: Paper tape and SGS demonstrated equal effectiveness in the prevention of hypertrophic scarring on visual analysis, whereas histologic analysis demonstrated no difference in treatment groups from controls. The effectiveness of paper tape in preventing hypertrophic scarring in humans will require further laboratory and clinical investigation.