Plasma Therapy for Scar Management

April 22, 2026 updated by: Hu Zhicheng, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University

A Prospective, Multicenter, Real-World Observational Study of a Plasma Device for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Scars, Keloids, Atrophic Scars, Postoperative Scars, and Burn Scars

This study is a prospective, multicenter, real-world observational study. It aims to evaluate whether adding plasma device therapy to standard scar care is effective and safe for treating various types of scars, including hypertrophic scars, keloids, atrophic scars, postoperative scars, burn scars, and post-traumatic scars. A total of 400 patients receiving standard scar care plus plasma therapy will be enrolled from multiple hospitals across China. Their outcomes will be compared with 400 matched patients who received standard scar care alone. The main outcomes include change in Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score, pruritus relief, pain relief, scar thickness reduction, patient satisfaction, recurrence rate at 6 months, and any side effects. Patients will be followed for up to 6 months after treatment completion.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
800

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will be recruited from patients presenting with various types of scars (hypertrophic scars, keloids, atrophic scars, postoperative scars, burn scars, post-traumatic scars, post-acne scars) at the burn units, plastic surgery departments, or dermatology departments of 10 participating tertiary hospitals across China.

Eligible participants are those who require scar management and meet the inclusion criteria. Patients in the plasma device group will be enrolled prospectively from those receiving standard scar care plus plasma device therapy as part of their routine clinical care. Control group participants will be derived from either: (1) concurrent patients receiving standard scar care alone at the same centers, or (2) retrospectively identified patients from medical records who received standard scar care without plasma therapy. Propensity score matching will be applied to balance baseline characteristics between the two groups.

No special restrictions on gender,

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of scar requiring therapeutic intervention, including but not limited to hypertrophic scar, keloid, atrophic scar, postoperative linear scar, burn scar, post-traumatic scar, or post-acne scar.
  • Scar duration ≥ 3 months, in stable or proliferative phase.
  • Age ≥ 12 years (for minors under 18 years, informed consent must be provided by a parent or legal guardian).
  • Stable vital signs and able to tolerate scar treatment.
  • Understand and willing to participate and able to provide signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active infection, ulceration, or malignant tumor involving the scar area. Severe uncontrolled systemic disease or major organ dysfunction (heart, lung, brain, etc.).
  • Psychiatric disorder that prevents compliance with treatment.
  • Presence of diseases (malignant tumor, autoimmune disease) or use of medications (high-dose corticosteroids: ≥40 mg prednisone or equivalent per day for ≥2 weeks) that may affect scar healing or assessment.
  • HIV positivity, clinical diagnosis of AIDS, or absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1000 cells/mm³ during screening.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Previous treatment of the scar area (e.g., laser, injection, surgery) without a washout period of ≥3 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Plasma Device Group
Patients receiving standard scar care (silicone gel, pressure therapy, scar cream, etc.) plus plasma device therapy. The plasma device is applied non-contact to the scar area at a distance of 5-10 mm, with power set to low/medium mode according to scar type. Treatment duration: 5-10 seconds per cm², total not exceeding 15 minutes per session. Frequency: once every 2 weeks, total 4-6 sessions as one course. After each session, repair dressing or antibiotic ointment is applied.
Device: Plasma Device
Cold atmospheric plasma device used for non-contact scar treatment. The device generates low-temperature plasma that modulates fibroblast proliferation, promotes collagen remodeling, reduces inflammation, and improves local microcirculation.
Conventional Treatment Group
Patients receiving standard scar care alone, including silicone gel, pressure therapy, scar cream, etc., without plasma device therapy. Participants may be enrolled concurrently (not receiving plasma device) or identified retrospectively from medical records. Propensity score matching will be used to control for confounding factors.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) Score
Time Frame: Baseline to 1 month after treatment completion (Week 12)
The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) assesses four parameters: vascularity (0-3), pigmentation (0-3), pliability (0-5), and height (0-3). Total score ranges from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating more severe scarring. The primary outcome is the change from baseline in total VSS score at 1 month after completion of treatment (Week 12).
Baseline to 1 month after treatment completion (Week 12)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Pruritus Score
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10) for itching severity, with 0 = no itch and 10 = worst possible itch.
Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Change in Pain Score
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-10) for pain severity, with 0 = no pain and 10 = worst possible pain.
Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Change in Scar Thickness
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Measured at the thickest point of the scar using high-frequency ultrasound or Vernier caliper.
Baseline to Week 12, Month 6
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: Month 6
ssessed using a 5-point scale (very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied) at 6 months after treatment completion.
Month 6
Recurrence Rate
Time Frame: Month 6
Proportion of participants experiencing scar re-thickening or symptom recurrence within 6 months after treatment completion.
Month 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 22, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SYSU-PLASMA-SCAR-2026-01

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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