[libribook.com] Traumatic Scar Tissue Management 1st Edition

• 10 reflects the ‘worst imaginable scar’.
All items are summed to give a total scar score and, therefore, a higher
score represents a poorer scar quality (van der Wal et al. 2012, POSAS
Group 2015).
POSAS can be used to assess burn, keloid and linear scars (e.g. surgical
and hypertrophic).
VSS
Specific to burn scars, VSS assesses four variables: vascularity,
height/thickness, pliability and pigmentation. Unlike POSAS, patient
perception is not factored in to the overall score. VSS is typically used to
evaluate therapy and measure outcomes in burn studies.
VAS
VAS, a photograph-based scale derived from evaluating standardized
digital photographs, correlates intraobserver, photographic and histologic
findings.
VAS is used to assess pigmentation, vascularity, contour and texture. It
sums the individual scores to get a single overall score ranging from
excellent to poor. VAS can be used to assess burn and linear scars.
Devices to objectively quantify scars (Fearmonti et al. 2010)
Various devices are available to assess parameters such as pliability,
firmness, color, perfusion, thickness, and 3-dimensional topography.
Although most of these devices are not likely to be on hand in a MT clinic
nor within our scope of practice, this information is provided simply to
inform. Such devices may be available to massage therapists in a research
environment.
Pliability
Two of the most popular tools used to assess pliability are the
pneumatonometer and cutometer:
• Pneumatonometer: uses pressure to objectively measure skin pliability.
• Cutometer: is a non-invasive suction device that measures the
viscoelasticity of the skin by analyzing its vertical deformation in