Recruiting

Intra-Dermal vs. Transcutaneous

Sponsor:

UCLA

Code:

NCT06448481

Conditions

Scarring

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Intra-dermal purse-string closure

Transcutaneous purse-string closure

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to determine whether intra-dermal versus transcutaneous purse-string closures have similar scar cosmesis and post-operative complications. The investigators will use a split wound model, where half of the wound will be closed with intra-dermal purse-string sutures and the other half will be closed with a transcutaneous purse-string sutures. Three-months post-surgery, the scar will be evaluated via the patient observer scar assessment scale (POSAS), a validated scar instrument, as well as the trace-to-tape method, an objective outcome measure for linear postoperative scars. Any adverse events will also be recorded.

Conditions

Scarring

Study ID

NCT06448481

Start date

Oct 14, 2025

Status verified date

Jan, 2026

Completion date

Jan 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Able to give informed consent themselves
  • Patient scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the head, neck, trunk, or extremities with predicted purse-string closure.
  • Willing to return for follow up visit

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Incarceration
  • Under 18 years of age
  • Pregnant Women

Study Design

Enrollment

73 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Intra-dermal purse-string closure on Side A

For all participants, one wound side half will be labeled as A and the other side as B. Side A will be closed with a intra-dermal purse-string closure, and Side B will be closed with a transcutaneous purse-string closure.

experimental: Intra-dermal purse-string closure on Side B

For all participants, one wound side half will be labeled as A and the other side as B. Side B will be closed with a intra-dermal purse-string closure, and Side A will be closed with a transcutaneous purse-string closure.

Interventions

Intra-dermal purse-string closure

Sutures are placed below the skin surface around a circular surgical wound, and the ends are cinched together like a coin purse.

Transcutaneous purse-string closure

Sutures are placed through the skin surface around a circular surgical wound, and cinched together like a coin purse.

Primary outcome measure

  • Observer Scar Assessment as measured by Patient Observer Scar Assessment Score (POSAS) [ Time Frame: 3 months ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Salsala Nasim, BS

916-551-2636sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu

Locations

University of California, Davis - Dermatology Department

Recruiting

Sacramento, California, United States, 95816

Contacts

Salsala Nasim, BS

916-551-2636sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu

Daniel Eisen, MD

916-551-2611dbeisen@health.ucdavis.edu

Principal Investigator:

Daniel Eisen, MD

More Information

Sponsor

University of California, Davis

Last update posted

Jan 29, 2026

Last verified

Jan, 2026

Keywords

  • Purse-string

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Davis on 2026-01-29.