Currently known risk factors for hypertrophic skin scarring: A review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Literature review without systematic review of clinical trials
PubMed 26776348 · doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2015.11.015
What was done
The authors conducted a PubMed search to identify published studies reporting on risk factors for hypertrophic scar formation.
What was found
The search identified 11 studies evaluating nine factors. Moderate to high strength of evidence was reported for chemotherapy, age, stretch, infection, and smoking, whereas other factors lacked convincing evidence or remained disputed. Young age, bacterial colonization, and skin subjected to stretch were identified as risk factors for hypertrophic scar formation, while chemotherapy, statins, and smoking appeared to be protective. The abstract reports no numerical risk estimates, effect sizes, or statistical values.
Why it matters
This review identifies patient and wound characteristics that may guide scar prevention and risk stratification in clinical practice.
Limits
The review included only 11 studies from a single database, without meta-analytic pooling, numerical risk estimates, or quantitative outcome measures reported in the abstract. Several factors were noted to have weak or disputed evidence.
Cited by
- supports Younger patients in their 20s and 30s have a higher risk of developing thicker surgical scars than patients in their 60s or 70s due to more robust collagen production.