Customized Fabrication Approach for Hypertrophic Scar Treatment: 3D Printed Fabric Silicone Composite

Abstract

Hypertrophic scars (HS) are considered to be the greatest unmet challenge in wound and burn rehabilitation. The most common treatment for HS is pressure therapy, but pressure garments may not be able to exert adequate pressure onto HS due to the complexity of the human body. However, the development of three-dimensional (3D) scanning and direct digital manufacturing technologies has facilitated the customized placement of additively manufactured silicone gel onto fabric as a component of the pressure therapy garment. This study provides an introduction on a novel and customized fabrication approach to treat HS and discusses the mechanical properties of 3D printed fabric reinforced with a silicone composite. For further demonstration of the suggested HS therapy with customized silicone insert, silicone inserts for the finger webs and HS were additively manufactured onto the fabric. Through the pressure evaluation by Pliance X system, it proved that silicone insert increases the pressure exerted to the HS. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the additively manufactured fabric silicone composites were characterized. The findings suggest that as compared with single viscosity print materials, the adhesive force of the additively manufactured silicone and fabric showed a remarkable improvement of 600% when print materials with different viscosities were applied onto elevated fabric

A prospective randomized pilot study evaluating the scar outcome after gluteal dermis fat graft with and without kinesiotaping

“…Despite pressure treatment ranking among the most common treatments, pressure garments may not be able to exert adequate pressure due to the complexity of the human body [ 31 ]. This is also the case for the scar after gluteal DFG harvesting: The location is under movement and mechanical contact of different layers of clothing.…”

Advances in Filament Structure of 3D Bioprinted Biodegradable Bone Repair Scaffolds

“…Yi et al[ 59 ] modified HA using poly(L-lactide)/β-cyclodextrin/citrate (PLA/β-CD/citrate), and the modified HA had significantly improved bioactivity and mechanical properties, with better cell adhesion and higher viability for rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Silicone elastomer can be formulated to have low elastic modulus, high extensibility and toughness, excellent thermal and oxidative stability, and chemical inertness[ 60 , 61 ]. Luis et al[ 62 ] used a two-part Ecoflex silicone resins for 3D printing a bionic scaffold for meniscus structure using a thermosetting extrusion method.…”

Exploration of Textile–Silicone Composites and Materials for Personal Impact-Resistant Protection

“…An additional layer of fabric material can therefore also enhance the wear resistance and tear strength and dry feeling of silicone elastomers, thus broadening the applications for silicone rubber composites [ 13 , 14 ]. Chow et al [ 15 ] developed a customized approach to fabricate a silicone composite which is additively manufactured onto fabric directly for hypertrophic scar treatment. Regrettably, most research on fabric-silicone composites has primarily focused on bonding performance and conductivity in sensor systems [ 14 , 16 ].…”