TOPLINE:

In a randomized trial of adults undergoing dermatologic surgery, hydrocolloid dressings (HCDs) resulted in scar appearance and complication rates comparable to those with daily petroleum ointment, although patients rated the HCDs as more convenient and comfortable.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted an investigator-blinded, randomized clinical trial involving 146 adults (mean age 61.9 years; 58% women) who underwent standard excision or Mohs micrographic surgery with linear bilayered repair from October 2022 to October 2023 at the Indiana University Dermatology Office in Carmel, Indiana.
• Patients were randomly assigned to either application of the HCD, worn continuously for 7 days over the site (n = 72) or daily application of petroleum ointment covered by a gauze bandage after washing the wound for 7 days (n = 74).
• Patient-reported scar appearance using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was the primary outcome; secondary outcomes were blinded Mohs surgeon VAS scores and surgical complications.

TAKEAWAY:

• Seven days post-surgery, patients in the HCD group reported higher VAS ratings for overall scar appearance than those in the petroleum ointment group (7.4 vs 6.6; P = .02); no significant differences were reported at 30 and 90 days.
• Surgeon-reported VAS scores were not significantly different between the two groups at all timepoints.
• The HCD group showed higher rates of postoperative adverse events, including bleeding (20.6% vs 8.8%), wound dehiscence (6.2% vs 0%), and surgical site pain (21.2% vs 12.3%), though differences were not statistically significant. No antibiotics were needed for any of the patients.
• More patients in the HCD group rated their dressing as convenient or extremely convenient (86.9% vs 46.8%) and comfortable or extremely comfortable (73.8% vs 48.3%).

IN PRACTICE:

“This randomized clinical trial found that a one-time application of HCD for 1 week after surgery results in comparable scar appearance and complication rates to daily use of petroleum ointment,” the authors concluded. “HCD provides an alternative dressing option for patients who prefer to avoid daily dressing changes,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Maria C. Bell, MD, Department of Dermatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and was published online on October 22 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by single-center design, inclusion of only linear closures, and photographic assessments of scars.

DISCLOSURES:

This research was funded by a grant from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and Indiana University. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.