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Tie-Over Bolster Dressing for Surgical Scars

This study is looking at a way to reduce scarring after surgery on the head or neck. When you have surgery, stitches are used to close the wound, but a scar always forms. Doctors are trying to find ways to make these scars less noticeable. One idea is to reduce the pulling (tension) on the skin around the wound. This study will test a procedure called a "tie-over bolster dressing." This involves stitching a small piece of special gauze over your regular stitches. This extra dressing helps hold the skin in place, which might lead to a better-looking scar. The study will measure how good the scar looks after 3 months using a special score. You can join if you are 18 or older, having head or neck surgery, and can understand English. The study aims to enroll 60 participants.

Study design
This is an interventional study that plans to enroll 60 participants. It will compare the aesthetic outcome of surgical wounds with and without the addition of a tie-over bolster dressing.
What's involved
You will have a tie-over bolster dressing applied after your surgery. You will need to return for a follow-up visit.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your scar will be assessed 3 months after your surgery.

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NCT05758168

Aesthetic Outcome of Tie-over Bolster Application in Surgical Wounds

Recruiting
NAAges 18+Interventional
University of California, Davis
~60 participants
Updated 2026-04-13 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Addition of Tie-Over Bolster Dressing

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Observer Scar Assessment as measured by Patient Observer Scar Assessment Score (POSAS)
Measured over 3 months

Conditions

Scarring

Explore related trials

Surgical wound

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
California1

Study leadership

  • Daniel Eisen, MD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of California, Davis - Dermatology

Who to contact

Salsala Nasim, BS
[email protected]
916-551-2636
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

18 years of age or older
Able to give informed consent themselves
Patient scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the head or neck with predicted primary closure
Willing to return for follow-up visit

Exclusion

Incarceration
Under 18 years of age
Pregnant women
Unable to understand written and oral English Wounds with predicted closure length less than 3cm

What this trial measures

  • Observer Scar Assessment as measured by Patient Observer Scar Assessment Score (POSAS)3 months

    The primary endpoint will be the score of two blinded reviewers independently using the POSAS assessment. The observer scale of the POSAS consists of six items (vascularity, pigmentation, thickness, relief, pliability, and surface area). All items are scored on a scale ranging from 1 ("like normal skin") to 10 ("worst scar imaginable"). The sum of the six items results in a total score of the POSAS observer scale. Furthermore, an overall opinion is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. All parameters should preferably be compared to normal skin on a comparable anatomic location.