Tuning the tensile and shear properties of a scar healing composite for mechanotherapy

Abstract

Conventional scar treatment options of single pressure garment therapy (PGT) or silicone gel sheeting (SGS, Cica-Care®, Smith and Nephew, London, UK) alone lack mechanical property tunability. This article discusses a scar healing composite (PGF-Biopor®AB, Dreve Otoplastik GmbH, Unna, Germany) and how its mechanical properties can be tuned for improved mechanotherapy. A balance between compression and tension was achieved by tuning the tensile and shear properties, facilitating tension shielding and pressure redistribution for scar therapeutics. Biopor®AB-wrapping on biaxial-tensioned pressure garment fabric (PGF) allowed compression therapy and internal pressure redistribution. The Biopor®AB surface, with a coefficient of friction close to 1, strategically localizes stress for effective tension shielding. A substantial five-fold reduction in silicone tension, amounting to 1.060 N, achieves tension shielding and pressure redistribution. Simultaneously, a dynamic internal pressure-sharing mechanism distributes 0.222 kPa from each SPK-filament bundle, effectively managing internal pressure. Alongside the principle compression-silicone dual therapy, this composite design with dynamic internal pressure sharing and mechanical property tunability provides an additional pressure-relieving strategy for multiple scar therapeutics.