• Health & Wellness

    Science Saturday: Laser therapy for skin regeneration

Mayo Clinic is taking a new approach to bolster the body's ability to heal scar tissue after serious burns. Mayo Clinic dermatologists are using laser treatments to unleash the regenerative power of burned skin and to try to improve appearance and function.

Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Medicine is a driver of new regenerative therapeutics that transform the practice of medicine and offer new options that address unmet patient needs.

"The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it has remarkable regenerative potential," says Elika Hoss, M.D., a  dermatologist who practices at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "With laser treatments for scars, we are aiming to restore skin to the condition it was in before the injury. We're hoping to make the skin less disfigured, softer and more pliable. We are working to normalize the texture, thickness and color of the skin."

Nearly a half-million people in the U.S. suffer serious burns every year that require medical attention, according to the American Burn Association. Skin grafts are commonly performed to cover and heal severe burn wounds. However, sometimes the tissue in the grafts shrinks or contracts, severely restricting flexibility around injury.

Read the rest of the article on the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine blog.

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