How does it do it? Scientists at the University of Freiburg (Germany) have the answer. They developed a biochip specifically designed for this purpose. It uses electricity to heal wounds up to three times faster than normal. Yes: electricity can heal scars quickly.
Electric fields can guide the movements of skin cells. They push them toward the site of an injury. In fact, the human body generates an electric field that does this naturally. The researchers extended this effect. Thus, it radically reduces the recovery time for small tears and lacerations.
Patients with hope
It would be useful for people with chronic wounds that take a long time to heal, such as the elderly. Also diabetics or people with poor blood circulation. Recovering quickly from frequent small open cuts could literally be a lifesaver. This was pointed out by Maria Asplund, a scientist specializing in bioelectronics at the University of Freiburg.
The scientists developed a bioelectronics platform. They used it to grow artificial skin made up of cells called keratinocytes. They are the most common skin cell type and are crucial for the healing process. They also compared the application of electric fields on one side of the wound with alternating fields on the other.
Rapid migration
And it matched both healthy keratinocytes and those engineered to resemble those of people with diabetes. They migrated up to three times faster than skin cells without any electrical interference. An electrical push from only one side of the wound proved to be the most effective. It repaired the artificial skin in the shortest time. Fortunately, none of the cells were damaged by the electric fields tested.
Electricity can heal scars quickly. Wounds that do not heal as quickly as typical increase the risk of infection and further delay healing. In severe cases, this can lead to amputation. This is why this process deserves to be investigated by patients and healthcare professionals.
