The development of surgical adjuvants to potentiate wound healing and decrease major surgical complications
is one of the great challenges of clinical research in our department.
In our routine practice, both autologous PRP and autologous PRP glue (RegenPRP /RegenKit®) were applied
in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and the application can be divided into three major axes: reconstructive
surgery, wound healing and cosmetic treatment.
In soft tissue reconstruction, supplementing of lipofiling with autologous PRP can improve the survival of fat
grafts and provides satisfactory outcomes. This preparation is routinely used in different conditions including
breast, calf, genitalia augmentation and filling defect such as hemifacial atrophy. For the management of
burn scars, a new protocol will be established in our department involving the use of dermabrasion, dermal
injections of PRP combined to lipofiling to improve the trophicity of skin and spraying of keratinocytes
suspension combined to PRP.
By improving haemostasis and tissue adherence, autologous PRP glue is used to prevent hematoma and seroma formation after breast reduction, abdominoplasty, brachioplasty, bodylift, cruroplasty and rhytidectomy.
Indeed, autologous PRP glue is often used to accelerate wound healing and improve the success of skin
grafts in recalcitrant healing (chronic and acute wound). In a preliminary study, the use of PRP glue combined
with skin graft surgery in the management of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infection showed that the
average of hospitalisation time after debridement and reconstruction procedures is 8.67 days (n= 8) compared
to control without PRP glue 13.87 days (n=8). These results show that autologous-PRP glue appeared to
increase skin graft success and accelerate wound healing in the context of post-infectious cutaneous defect.
In cosmetic treatment, injection of autologous PRP combined to hyaluronic acid is used for volume restoration
and on mesotherapy in the face rejuvenation.
These works thus make it possible to plan many future applications for the PRP and showed the interest
of PRP as surgical adjuncts to enhance wound healing, reduce incidences of complications and length of
hospital stay. In this context, a multi-centre clinical trial will be conducted in four European countries. The
study “NEWSKIN” address the management of patients with skin defects, and involve the development of
an innovative surgical procedure using autologous tissues and cells to reconstruct the three layers of skin
(hypodermis, dermis, epidermis).
