Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
October 20, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Microneedling Combined With Biomimetic Peptides for Burn Scar Improvement: A Prospective Study.
Hernández Gómez Crespo F, Adel N, Rubio Henaine M, +9 more, Thulesen IV.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Microneedling with biomimetic peptides was associated with improved hypertrophic burn scar appearance and function in a single-arm study.
What was studied
Prospective single-arm before-and-after study of patients with hypertrophic burn scars given 5 sessions at 12-week intervals with follow-up at week 60.
Key findings
- Vancouver Scar Scale and POSAS observer scores improved across pigmentation, pliability, thickness and vascularity.
- Patients reported less discomfort, itch and stiffness with better mobility.
- No serious adverse events or discontinuations.
Clinical relevance
May offer a minimally invasive adjunct for stubborn burn scars.
Who should care
Limitations
No control group, number of patients not given in the abstract, and scars may improve with time alone.
Reasonable to consider as an adjunct, but controlled trials are needed.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Hypertrophic scarring commonly follows burn injury, resulting from persistent inflammation, abnormal fibroblast activity, and excessive extracellular matrix deposition, leading to functional limitation and aesthetic impairment. Despite multimodal management, outcomes remain variable. Biomimetic peptides can modulate cellular pathways involved in tissue repair, whereas microneedling enhances transdermal delivery and stimulates dermal remodeling.
Methods
This prospective, single-arm, interventional, before-and-after clinical study evaluated patients with hypertrophic burn scars treated with microneedling-assisted delivery of biomimetic peptides. Participants underwent 5 treatment sessions at 12-week intervals, followed by a final follow-up assessment 12 weeks after the last session (week 60). Scar characteristics were assessed at baseline and during follow-up using validated instruments, including the Vancouver Scar Scale and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale. Scar-related symptoms and functional limitation were also recorded. Safety was monitored through prospective reporting of adverse events. Pre- and posttreatment outcomes were compared within subjects.
Results
Following therapy, improvement was observed across multiple scar domains, including pigmentation, pliability, thickness, and vascularity, reflected by reductions in Vancouver Scar Scale and Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale observer scores. Patient-reported outcomes showed parallel improvements in discomfort, pruritus, and perceived stiffness, accompanied by gains in functional mobility. No serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations occurred.
Conclusions
Microneedling-assisted biomimetic peptide therapy was associated with meaningful improvements in scar appearance and patient-reported function in hypertrophic burn scars. This minimally invasive approach may complement comprehensive scar rehabilitation. Controlled studies are needed to confirm efficacy and refine protocols.
DOI
10.1097/gox.0000000000008184
PMID
42903302
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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