ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Acta Vulnologica 2015 June;13(2):77-89

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Use of a topical preparation based on lactoferrin to manage acute and chronic cutaneous dyschromia and hypotrophy

Musso A., Aloesio R., Caponi R.

General and Specialist Surgery, ASL TO1 Martini Hospital, Turin, Italy

AIM: The aim of this observational study was to verify the efficacy in reducing dyschromia and improving cutaneous trophism by exploiting the modulating and chelating properties of topical lactoferrin.
METHODS: Over a period of 12 months, 50 patients were analysed. They were divides into acute cases (32), where dyschromia resulted from traumas or surgical injury, and chronic cases (18), where dyschromia was chronically present due to an underlying venous pathology. The observation continued for at least two months, even where the treatment was abruptly interrupted due to a supervening result or lack of patient compliance. The evaluation report was both clinical, by means of medical evaluation, and subjective, by means of a patient self-assessment questionnaire.
RESULTS: It was observed that the dyschromic picture was resolved in all acute cases from the first month of application, above all for applications made shortly after the traumatic event. On the other hand, in acute cases, an improvement in the dyschromic picture within two months from the application involved only 6 cases with cutaneous depigmentation and a modest recovery of local adnexa and tissue hydration, where the majority of patients interrupted the treatment due to lack of aesthetically evident results. No intolerance to the product was verified, even in prolonged periods of application.
CONCLUSION: Treatment with topical lactoferrin proved particularly effective in managing hematoma or acute ecchymosis and in reducing the concomitant lesional edema. In the treatment of chronic forms of dyschromia its effects were modest but not inexistent, although no subjectively appreciative variations were made to the patient’s skin pigmentation, also because the period of application in these situations should be decidedly longer and continuous.