A Pilot Study of Noninvasive Methods to Assess Healed Acute and Chronic Wounds

Background. A variety of instruments are available that can objectively assess physical parameters of the skin such as strength, firmness, elasticity, hydration, and color, often undetected by clinical assessment. Objective. To assess the physical properties of healed acute and chronic wounds using several noninvasive instruments. Methods. Four patients with healed acute wounds and four patients with healed chronic wounds were studied using ballistometric, impedance, levarometric, and spectrophotometric measurements. Results. In general, scars were harder, less elastic, dryer, and more erythematous than control skin. These differences were more pronounced in healed chronic wounds. Conclusion. A scar from an acute surgical wound becomes softer, more elastic, dryer, less erythematous, and less pigmented as it ages. In contrast, chronic wound scars become harder as they age. These different properties of healed acute wounds and healed chronic wounds may be a result of the different healing processes in each wound type.