Zinc Oxide Versus Petrolatum Following Skin Surgery

Launched by MELISSA PUGLIANO-MAURO · Jun 16, 2018

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the effectiveness of zinc oxide ointment compared to petrolatum (a common skin ointment) for healing surgical scars. If you're an adult who has had a surgical incision of at least 4.5 cm on non-scalp skin and your site is healing well without infection, you might be eligible to participate. The study is looking for participants who are 18 years and older and have a symmetrical scar that isn’t infected.

As a participant, you would apply either zinc oxide or petrolatum to each half of your scar daily for one month. You would also keep a log of your routine and return for follow-up visits at one week, four weeks, eight weeks, and six months after your surgery. During these visits, doctors will assess your scar using photographs and a special scoring system to evaluate its appearance, healing, and any complications. Additionally, you'll receive parking validation for your visits and a gift bag with hypoallergenic skin care products once the study is complete. This research will help us understand which ointment may be better for scar healing.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. ≥ 18 years of age
• • 2. Linear closure, non-scalp site
• • 3. ≥ 4.5 cm in length (final incision/closure length)
• • 4. End to end symmetry (surgical site is not grossly asymmetric from end to end)
• • 5. Grossly uninfected site
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. ≤ 18 years
• • 2. Visibly asymmetric linear scar
• • 3. Grossly infected surgical site
• • 4. History of allergy to topical zinc oxide