Ultrasound Treatment Heals Skin Wounds Faster - Especially for Diabetics and the Elderly

A new study by researchers at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Biomedical Science have found that the ultrasound can heal skin wounds faster. According to the research, the ultrasound transmits a vibration through the skin and wakes up cells in wounds helping to stimulate and accelerate the healing process.

The treatment with ultrasound, which also reduces the chance of wounds getting infected, is particularly effective when treating diabetics and the elderly.

Lead author of the study Dr Mark Bass, said that skin ulcers are excruciatingly painful for patients and in many cases can only be resolved by amputation of the limb.

“Using ultrasound wakes up the cells and stimulates a normal healing process. Because it is just speeding up the normal processes, the treatment doesn’t carry the risk of side effects that are often associated with drug treatments,” Dr. Bass said.

The author also said that they we have proven the effectiveness of ultrasound we need to explore the signal further.

“We have found that the ultrasound signal we currently use is effective, but it is possible that by refining the treatment we could improve the effects even further. Because ultrasound is relatively risk free we could expect to see it in broad clinical use within three or four years,” Dr. Bass added.

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The study, which is published in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, was carried out in collaboration with the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, the Wound Biology Group at the Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair, and the orthopaedic company, Bioventus LLC.

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Source-Medindia