Development of a reproducible in vivo laser-induced scar model for wound healing study and management.

The aim of the current study was to establish animal scar models in a simple and rapid manner by comparing three methods. Wounds were created on the buttocks of Sprague Dawley rats. For Group 1, the initial wound was created by surgical incision. For Groups 2 and 3, a 1470-nm laser was employed to generate dermal burns as the initial wound. The wounds in Groups 1 and 3 were then sutured for three days. After the wound healing, Group 2 generated the largest collagen proportion with abundant collagen type I and significant increases in α-SMA and TGF-β1. The proposed method can be an efficient way to develop rat scar models in a simple manner for evaluating scar treatment.