Treatment of hypopigmented scar with autologous skin cell suspension delivered through fractional ablative laser-assisted drug delivery does not lead to short-term re-pigmentation.

Abstract

Post-burn hypertrophic scars often exhibit dyschromia, including hyper- and hypo-pigmentation. Inactivated melanocytes, typically residing in the epidermal basement membrane, pose a challenge for effective activation and repigmentation in scarred areas. This study explores an alternative approach: using laser-assisted drug delivery to transplant melanocyte-containing cell suspensions into hypopigmented scars. In a porcine model with induced scars, autologous skin cell suspensions (ASCS) were delivered via CO₂ fractional ablative laser-created channels. Longitudinal analysis using Image J revealed no increase in pigmented areas or discernible melanin levels by digital imaging or non-invasive probes at weeks 1 and 2. Histological examination further confirmed the absence of melanin in tissue biopsies, with a transient increase in epidermal thickness observed at Day 63. This approach did not achieve repigmentation of hypopigmented scars within the study's 2-week duration. Future investigations may refine this technique by modifying delivery protocols based on these findings.