Compression therapy after complex soft tissue trauma, and flap coverage: optimization of scar development, swelling, function, and aesthetic result.

Problems after severe soft tissue injuries, skin grafting, and flap procedures are uncontrolled hypertrophic scarring, unstable scars, functional deficits, and aesthetic disfigurements. Ongoing swelling and lymphatic stasis are also a common problem, and do contribute to functional problems. After deep skin / soft tissue injuries, an unstructured replacement tissue is formed (scar), and does not have all functions of healthy skin. After an initial increase of vascularisation in the scar region, the formation of unstructured collagen fibers takes place, spontaneously subsiding later with a shrinkage of the tissue. Compression therapy in these patients strongly enhances the reconstitution of form, and function. The consequence is a significant step forward in the rehabilitation of these patients, and earlier social as well as professional reintegration.