OBJECTIVE Pathologic scarring affects millions of people worldwide. Quantitative and qualitative measurement modalities are needed to effectively evaluate and monitor treatments. METHODS This article reviews the literature on available tools and existent assessment scales used to subjectively and objectively characterize scar. RESULTS We describe the attributes and deficiencies of each tool...

BACKGROUND In most case control studies the hardest decision is the choice of the control group, as in the ideal control group the proportion exposed is the same as in the population that produced the cases. METHODS A comparison of two control groups in a case control study of the efficacy of BCG revaccination. One group was selected from subjects presenting to the heath unit the case attende...

BACKGROUND Surgical scars are a challenging condition to treat. Fractional photothermolysis provides a promising new modality for treatment. CASE REPORT A 55-year-old white female patient with a surgical scar on the chin was treated with fractional photothermolysis (1550 nm Fraxel SR laser). A single treatment session was performed at pulse energy of 8 mJ (MTZ) and a final density of 2000 MTZ...

A dorsal valve of an Upper Cambrian lingulate brachiopod exhibits a repair scar on the anterior lateral edge of its larval shell. This species is characterized by an abrupt change in ornamentation from larval to postlarval growth. Shell material secreted in the injured area after the damage occurred exhibits ornamentation that is characteristic of postlarval growth, although equivalent growth e...

We study the structure of eigenstates in two-body interaction random matrix ensembles and find significant deviations from random matrix theory expectations. The deviations are most prominent in the tails of the spectral density and indicate localization of the eigenstates in Fock space. Using ideas related to scar theory we derive an analytical formula that relates fluctuations in wave functio...

Cutaneous injuries causing scar tissue formation are relatively common and lead patients to seek treatment for cosmetic or functional improvement. Laser technology has evolved over the past few decades to become the treatment of choice for many types of scars, but determining the appropriate use of this technology comes with experience. This review will provide practical guidelines for the derm...

Figure 1. Preoperative photograph of the patient with tracheostomy scar.