‘Spray on skin’ helps heal leg ulcers

Posted 02/08/2012

A ‘spray on skin’ which coats a wound with a layer of skin cells could help to heal leg ulcers, according to US and Canadian researchers.The spray was tested on 228 people with leg ulcers, which are painful open wounds that can last for months. The findings, which have been published in medical journal, The Lancet, showed that ulcers treated with the spray were more likely to heal and did so more quickly.Experts have said that faster healing could save money, despite the cost of the spray.Leg ulcers are hard to treat and the best treatment is compression bandages. But this will heal only about 70% of ulcers after six months. Other options include skin grafting.The spray puts a coating of donated skin cells and blood clotting proteins over the ulcer. The research showed that patients who were given the spray on skin every 14 days demonstrated the most improvement, with the size of the wound decreasing rapidly as soon as the treatment started. 70% of patients who were given the spray were healed within three months, compared with 46% who received other treatment.Leg ulcers are most commonly caused by high blood pressure in the veins of the legs which damage the skin, causing it to break down and develop into an open wound.Julie Crossley, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal comments: “This can only be good news as ulcers are painful and distressing. Should this treatment become available, it will mean faster and hopefully more effective treatment.”