Acne Scars

J Cutan Pathol. 2009 Jul; 36(7): 788-92Wang XQ, Chang HE, Francis R, Olszowy H, Liu PY, Kempf M, Cuttle L, Kravchuk O, Phillips GE, Kimble RMBACKGROUND: Silver dressings have been widely and successfully used to prevent cutaneous wounds, including burns, chronic ulcers, dermatitis and other cutaneous conditions, from infection. However, in a few cases, skin discolouration or argyria-like appearances have been reported. This study investigated the level of silver in scar tissue post-burn injury following application of Acticoat, a silver dressing. METHODS: A porcine deep dermal partial thickness burn model was used. Burn wounds were treated with this silver dressing until completion of re-epithelialization, and silver levels were measured in a total of 160 scars and normal tissues. RESULTS: The mean level of silver in scar tissue covered with silver dressings was 136 microg/g, while the silver level in normal skin was less than 0.747 microg/g. A number of wounds had a slate-grey appearance, and dissection of the scars revealed brown-black pigment mostly in the middle and deep dermis within the scar. The level of silver and the severity of the slate-grey discolouration were correlated with the length of time of the silver dressing application. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that silver deposition in cutaneous scar tissue is a common phenomenon, and higher levels of silver deposits and severe skin discolouration are correlated with an increase in the duration of this silver dressing application.