Healing Without Scarring

Military trauma creates not only large wounds but also large scars that can draw unwanted attention to the wounded warrior. In some instances the scars become so thick that they can limit movement of joints and greatly restrict the patient’s ability to move. The annual economic burden of this problem in the U.S. has been conservatively estimated at more than $4 billion.

There have been many attempts to address this problem, which have not been successful. Because wound healing begins at the onset of injury and can continue for months, the Wake Forest-Pittsburgh team is taking an integrated approach, with projects encompassing all phases of wound healing. This coordinated approach has the potential to bias the healing process toward repair and regeneration, rather than scarring, and to create a new wound management paradigm.

Program Leader:
Mike Longaker, M.D., Stanford University