Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has honored Philadelphia plastic surgeon Brannon Claytor, MD, and co-authors Casey Gene Sheck, DO, and Vinod Chopra, MD, for their research showing that microneedling improves early-stage postsurgical scar appearances. Their paper, “Microneedling Outcomes in Early Postsurgical Scars,” received Honorable Mention in the journal’s 2023 Best Paper Awards.
“I am deeply honored by this recognition and proud of our contributions to post-surgical scar care. I hope many surgeons will adopt these scar-minimizing protocols,” says Claytor. “This study affirms the value of reexamining and advancing the basics of surgery and recovery to improve patient results.”
Award winners were selected based on the number of times each article was read on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal’s online platform and Ovid, another authoritative resource for medical research, for 16 months following article publication. Claytor’s paper showcasing the novel approach to treating post-surgical scars with microneedling treatments stood out by a distinct margin, proving its merit as a leading paper in its category.
“Percutaneous collagen induction has achieved noteworthy improvement in acne scars for years,” says Claytor. “My goal for this study was to determine if microneedling treatments could produce similar improvement for surgical scars and develop new treatment protocols. I believe we have been very successful.”
The study consisted of twenty-five patients who underwent surgery and received a series of three microneedling treatments to their scars with the goal of increasing collagen production. The patients’ scar appearance was evaluated after each treatment and at a final two-month follow-up.
The data showed that treating surgical scars six to seven weeks postoperatively showed superior improvement compared to scars that were treated 13-16 weeks postoperatively; no adverse effects were observed. Patient’s age, skin tone, or scar location did not appear to affect the outcome of their results.
