Treatment of depressed cutaneous scars with gelatin matrix implant: a multicenter study.

Twenty-two centers participated in a study to determine the efficacy and safety of gelatin matrix implant (GMI; Fibrel) in the elevation of depressed cutaneous scars. Gelatin matrix implant is an implant consisting of absorbable gelatin powder and epsilon-aminocaproic acid, which is reconstituted with the patient's plasma before being injected intradermally beneath the scar. A total of 321 patients were evaluated after a skin sensitivity test; six of the patients (1.9%) had a positive response. After a skin test with negative results, 27 patients dropped out of the study for unrelated reasons. The remaining 288 patients were treated with the implant (total of 840 scars), many of whom have been followed up for more than 1 year. Preliminary results show that approximately half of the treated scars showed improvement of greater than 65%. The current data suggest that the improvement lasts at least up to 1 year. Adverse reactions to gelatin matrix implant injections were local and transient, and none of the patients developed major hypersensitivity responses to the treatment. The data indicate that intradermal injections of gelatin matrix implant are safe and effective in correcting the depressed scars selected for this study.