A prospective, randomised, double-blinded trial to study the efficacy of topical tocotrienol in the prevention of hypertrophic scars

Summary Background Despite widespread beliefs regarding the use of topical tocotrienol in the prevention of hypertrophic scars, there is very little evidence from well controlled and randomised clinical trials to justify its benefits for surgical scars. Objective This study was conducted to evaluate...

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Published in:Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery reconstructive & aesthetic surgery, 2011-06, Vol.64 (6), p.e137-e145
Main Authors: Khoo, T.L, Halim, A.S, Zakaria, Z, Mat Saad, A.Z, Wu, L.Y, Lau, H.Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administration, Topical
Adolescent
Adult
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic - pathology
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic - prevention & control
Double-Blind Method
Drug Administration Schedule
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hypertrophic scars
Laser Doppler imaging
Laser-Doppler Flowmetry
Male
Middle Aged
Plastic Surgery
Prospective Studies
Tocotrienols - administration & dosage
Topical tocotrienol
Treatment Outcome
Vitamin E
Vitamins - administration & dosage
Young Adult
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Summary:Summary Background Despite widespread beliefs regarding the use of topical tocotrienol in the prevention of hypertrophic scars, there is very little evidence from well controlled and randomised clinical trials to justify its benefits for surgical scars. Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of topical tocotrienol in preventing the development of hypertrophic scars. Methods A prospective, randomised, double-blinded study was performed on 122 patients with recently healed ( 0.05) categories. The mean LDI flux showed a decreasing trend over time, which was positively correlated with vascularity (correlation coefficient = 0.325, p = 0.008) and total scores (correlation coefficient = 0.248, p = 0.034) of the observer scar assessment scale on week 0. No significant adverse effect was observed. Conclusions Twice-daily application of 5% topical tocotrienol had no significant effect on the appearance and vascularity of scars over 4 months post-surgery. LDI has a promising role as a scar assessment tool.
ISSN:1748-6815
1878-0539
DOI:10.1016/j.bjps.2010.08.029