Nonsilicone Gel Sheet for Burn Hypertrophic Scars

Randomized, Controlled, Within-patient Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Nonsilicone Gel Sheet for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Scar in Adult Burn Survivors

Overview: The application of gel sheets holds promise for both the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scar after deep dermal injuries. Although some positive results have been published, a Cochrane review of the data concluded that the trials were of poor quality therefore only provided weak evidence for their benefit. One of the limitations of previous studies has been the subjectivity and potential bias of the evaluation tools that were used. The validation of electronic instrumentation for the measurement of hypertrophic scar and determination of their superior clinometric properties provides the basis from which precise, systematic, evaluations can now be performed that will allow for confident conclusions to be made. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a non-silicone gel sheet relative to a patient-matched control site in a prospective, randomized, controlled, within-patient study. This study has been piloted and the data used to establish the number of participants that will be required for an adequately powered study.

Specific Objectives:

1. To characterize the changes in vascularity, thickness, pain and itch in adult burn hypertrophic scar (HSc) following an extended course of treatment with a non-silicone based gel sheet relative to matched control scars.
2. To characterize the changes in pliability of adult burn HSc following an extended course of treatment with a non-silicone based gel sheet relative to matched control scars.

Recruitment: Burn survivors aged 14 years and more, who have developed HSc and are being treated at CHUM and Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital.

Risks: There is a minimal risk that the gel used in this project might cause minor redness (10-25% if the use instructions are not followed). The rash quickly resolves once the gel sheet is removed.

Study Site: This study will be carried out at Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burn Scar
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Silicone gel

Detailed Description

Participants will wear the gels for 4 hours for the first 2 days, 8 hours for the second 2 days with a gradual increase of at least 2 hours/day until they reach >21 hours/day. Once the graduate progression has been completed the gel sheet will be applied daily by the subjects for as close to 21+ hours as possible.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 49
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Montreal, Canada
    • Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Females and males, of any race
• 16 years or older who were admitted to the Montreal Burn Centre for the treatment of a thermal burn injury
• Scar sites that show clinical evidence of HSc (>2.034 mm thick as measured by high frequency ultrasound and hyperaemic - defined as Mexameter erythema index >300)
• Understand French or English
• Signed the informed patient consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Suspected or known allergy to ultrasound gel
• Formed keloid scars
• Scar site that are mature (defined as Mexameter erythema index <300 and <2.034 mm thick)
• Diagnosed with a psychiatric illness that will impair the subjects ability to participate in the study or provide informed consent
• Mechanism of injury is an electrical, chemical, or cold injury
• Dermatological condition such as psoriasis, eczema, etc., in the region of the evaluation site, which in the investigator's opinion, may interfere with the study results.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control scar; No intervention, standard of care
Experimental: Gel treated scar	Other: Silicone gel; At the selected treatment sites the participants will wear the gels for 4 hours for the first 2 days, 8 hours for the second 2 days with a gradual increase of at least 2 hours/day until they reach >21 hours/day. Once the graduate progression has been completed the gel sheet will be applied daily by the subjects for as close to 21+ hours as possible. The gel will be removed for exercise and treatment interventions as well as personal hygiene

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Skin Erythema Changes	Erythema index measure by Mexameter, values from 0 to 999. The erythema values are individual for each person and depend strongly on the ethnic group. The measurements are generally used to determine changes before and after a treatment.	Baseline, 1month, 2months, 3months, 1month post intervention
Skin Elasticity Changes	Skin elasticity measures (r0- cutometer), mm	Baseline, 1month, 2months, 3months, 1month post intervention
Skin Thickness Changes	Ultrasound skin measures, mm	Baseline, 1month, 2months, 3months, 1month post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient reported treatment efficacy	Visual analog scale (score 0-none to 10-worse)	Baseline, 1month post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 22, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 20, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): October 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 21, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 23, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Wounds and Injuries; Fibrosis; Cicatrix; Burns; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic; Organic Chemicals; Polymers; Macromolecular Substances; Biomedical and Dental Materials; Manufactured Materials; Technology, Industry, and Agriculture; Siloxanes; Organosilicon Compounds; Silicones; Silicone Gels
• Other Study ID Numbers: 15.386

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No