Spray-on skin cells can heal leg ulcers much faster than existing treatments for the condition, according to a new study.
After 12 weeks, patients who took part in the study had a wound reduction of 8 percent to 16 percent greater than conventional treatment according to researchers at the University of Miami. The best results occurred with low doses of spray-on cells, and the treatment worked best on those with large ulcers.
The results were published in the British medical journal “The Lancet.”
It’s estimated that 2.5 million American suffer from venous leg ulcers, a condition that occurs when circulation and veins in the lower legs becomes very weak. That in turn leads to ulcers that could become chronic. People most at risk include those who are inactive obese or have varicose veins. Until now, the conventional treatment has been antibiotics, dressings and leg compression . But the treatment is effective in just 30 percent to 75 percent of cases.
The new treatment is a mixture of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, cells and proteins that already exist in the skin.
Experts cautioned that the subject needs years of further research and that it’s not known how expensive it would be.
