The Case for Skin Camouflage in the Management of Upper Limb Scarring
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Case for Skin Camouflage in the Management of Upper Limb Scarring
IRAS ID
250213
Contact name
Laura Adamson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Along with the face and neck, the hand is one of the most visible parts of the body to others and is probably the most visible part of the body to self. \nIn our centre we see a variety of patients who undergo surgery for trauma or hand conditions. We began to identify a small number of patients who from a hand function perspective had returned to normal, however, the presence of a visible scar was a barrier to them returning to normal aspects of life, like returning to employment or engaging in social situations\nIn 2015 we began offering the opportunity for patients affected by the appearance of scars to their upper limbs to have a consultation with our skin camouflage trained hand therapist. However, skin camouflage is not routinely offered to patients nationally and there are very few skin camouflage trained therapists. This case-series study aims to present the treatment and experiences of 4 patients who have undergone a skin camouflage appointment for an upper limb scar.\nThe primary objective is to observe whether skin camouflage can be used to treat patients who experience distress over upper limb scarring. The baseline appointment is a one off, one-hour appointment, involving delivery of some questionnaires, assessment and advice for a skin camouflage regime. They will leave with their personal prescription for future use. After this appointment, patients will be asked to complete a one week and one month postal questionnaire. Routine hand therapy care will continue unaffected by the delivery of this service. \n
Lay Summary of Results:
Six patients started the study and 3 finished the whole study. All those who took part were female and had a scar on their hand or arm from an accident or surgery.
Before starting treatment, we asked all of those taking part to rate their hand function, pain and appearance. Those taking part had a wide range of pain and function but all said that the appearance of the scar was a problem. We also asked some questions about how the look of their scar made them feel doing different activities like working, shopping and meeting with family and friends. All those taking part said that their scar caused them distress and they often tried to hide it. This either stopped or made taking part in different areas of life difficult.
After using skin camouflage make up to cover the scar those taking part said it made them feel better about themselves straight away. Some people said their scar didn’t feel painful anymore. No one in the study had any negative side effects from the make up.
Three people left the study before the end. One person moved to a different country. Another person was not able to receive the make up products from their GP. After having the skin camouflage treatment, one person decided to stop doing the study and seek help for her mental health.
The three people who finished the study all improved in two areas after one month.
Person A was better in 5 areas of life one month after treatment. She did have more pain but this may be because she was doing more things with her hand. When we asked about how she felt taking part in daily activities she improved in 14 out of 24 questions.
Person B improved in 3 areas at one month and was using her hand more. She had pain in her hand before treatment and doing more with her hand did not increase this pain. How she felt about the appearance of her hand did not change during the study.
Person C had normal hand use during the study. She had high levels of pain and her scar appearance stopped her working and interacting with others. One month after treatment she was able to take part in more areas of life and her pain was reduced.
This study shows that skin camouflage treatment helps some patients who find a hand or arm scar distressingHas the registry been updated to include summary results?: No
If yes - please enter the URL to summary results:
If no – why not?: This was a small case series and not registered on a registry.
Did you follow your dissemination plan submitted in the IRAS application form (Q A51)?: Yes
If yes, describe or provide URLs to disseminated materials: Adamson L, Selby A. The case for skin camouflage in the management of upper limb scarring - A case series. Hand Ther. 2021 Sep;26(3):113-119. doi: 10.1177/17589983211007875. Epub 2021 Apr 20. PMID: 37904879; PMCID: PMC10584050.https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrack.pstmrk.it%2F3ts%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%252F37904879%252F%2FNBTI%2FZB7GAQ%2FAQ%2F163fecfa-2cd4-48ba-a06d-4174cb29f667%2F1%2FPvKz7o2mSe&data=05%7C02%7Cleedswest.rec%40hra.nhs.uk%7C5cae80c968e74d14c9af08decd2672c1%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C639173762180320374%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KhV4H%2B%2BfF9zrQQ8fK3cqjPO1NBJ03R9p0VPUbwaNKRs%3D&reserved=0
If pending, date when dissemination is expected:
If no, explain why you didn't follow it:
Have participants been informed of the results of the study?: Yes
If yes, describe and/or provide URLs to materials shared and how they were shared: Information was shared with participants either verbally/face to face if they were still attending face to face treatment with us or via e mail depending on participant preference.
If pending, date when feedback is expected:
If no, explain why they haven't:
Have you enabled sharing of study data with others?: Yes
If yes, describe or provide URLs to how it has been shared: Presentation locally to hand therapists. A presentation was planned at the British Association of Hand Therapists conference in 2020 but this was cancelled due to COVID
If no, explain why sharing hasn't been enabled:
Have you enabled sharing of tissue samples and associated data with others?: No
If yes, describe or provide a URL:
If no, explain why: N/A
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Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0384
Date of REC Opinion
11 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion