Mr Josh Totty J.Totty@hull.ac.uk
NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Plastic Surgery
First-in-man clinical trial investigating the effect of hair cycle modulation on wound healing
People Involved
Professor Ian Chetter I.Chetter@hull.ac.uk
Professor of Vascular Surgery
Professor Matthew Hardman M.Hardman@hull.ac.uk
Chair in Wound Healing / HYMS Director of Research
Project Description
Background: Chronic wounds, delayed healing and surgical site infection affect a significant number of patients and come at great cost to healthcare providers. They substantially decrease quality of life and may lead to repeated hospital admission, social isolation, limb loss and death. Improving wound healing can prevent acute wounds becoming chronic. There is an urgent need to identify novel preventative measures. One intervention that shows promise in animal models is hair cycle modulation, where stem-cell-rich hair follicles are forced into an anagen phase and contribute to the healing process in wounded skin, through depilation with waxing. The aim of this study is to investigate this intervention in a first-in-man study.
Methods: 30 patients planned to have predictable, standardisable acute wounds (skin graft donor sites) will have their skin waxed prior to their surgical procedure. They will act as their own control, with the donor sites half waxed and half not. Clinical photography will be used to determine wound healing at 7- and 14-days post-surgery (primary outcome). Punch biopsies of the area will be taken at 0-, 7-, 14- and 90-days post-surgery and used to examine for cellular-level evidence of healing (secondary outcomes).
Potential: This study is a first in man study that will identify an effect size for use in planning further, larger clinical studies of this novel, affordable intervention. Should a positive effect be found, this low-cost, acceptable intervention may reduce the risk of wound complications in any field of surgery.
| Status | Project Live |
|---|---|
| Value | £30,000.00 |
| Project Dates | Mar 1, 2023 - Jan 31, 2025 |
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