Low intensity ultrasound could help speed healing of skin ulcers, British researchers revealed today.
The treatment may reduce healing times for these ulcers by a third, according to the joint research by the universities of Bristol and Sheffield.
It is particularly effective in the care of the elderly and people with diabetes, researchers found.
So far the technique has been tested on laboratory mice.
The scientists say the vibrations from the ultrasound "wake up" cells, helping to stimulate and accelerate healing.
They have reported their findings in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Researcher Dr Mark Bass, from Sheffield University, said: "Skin ulcers are excruciatingly painful for patients and in many cases can only be resolved by amputation of the limb.
“Using ultrasound wakes up the cells and stimulates a normal healing process. Because it is just speeding up the normal processes, the treatment doesn’t carry the risk of side effects that are often associated with drug treatments.”
Ultrasonic stimulation of mouse skin reverses the healing delays in
diabetes and ageing by activation of Rac1. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 13 July 2015
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