July 22, 2008 -- Ekkyo (Meyreuil, France) a photomedicine company that develops laser-based systems for skin scar prevention and reduction, has reported the results of a pilot study on cutaneous scar prevention through the use of laser assisted scar healing (LASH).
Based on the therapeutic effects of controlled selective hyperthermia, Ekkyo's approach aims to stimulate the natural repair mechanisms of the skin, initiated at the critical moment of wound closure (the thrombotic phase). This approach was validated in animals by a proof of concept study performed using an 810 nm laser diode system that showed its ability to speed up the healing process and avoid visible marks of the wounds (Capon, Souil et al. 2001 Lasers Surg Med. 2001;28(2):168-75).
To demonstrate the relevance of this approach in humans, a pilot clinical trial, focused on abdominoplasty, was carried out at the Lille University Hospital Center (September 2006 - December 2007) by Dr. Alexandre Capon, plastic surgeon. The study aimed to evaluate safety plus therapeutic and cosmetic benefits of a treatment by an 810 nm laser diode. This is the base for the handheld laser Ekkylite the very first system using a "smart" safety device in charge of recognizing, setting up and defining the parameters of the laser during treatment.
"The results of this study are very encouraging; they validate our approach from the view point of safety and efficacy in a difficult clinical context of abdominal plasty that usually leaves unsightly long scars ; they impact patients self esteem and decrease the benefits of the surgical intervention," said Dr. Gwenaelle Iarmarcovai, head of Ekkyo's clinical trials.
"We are now ready to launch EkkyLite, our first laser system, which should soon become the reference for surgeons and their patients undergoing surgeries," said Ekkyo CEO and co-founder Alain Cornil.
The pilot study is described in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, which publishes basic and clinical studies on the therapeutic and diagnostic use of lasers in all the surgical and medical specialties. "This article confirms the benefits of the LASH technology to speed up the healing process and dramatically reduce or even prevent scars," said Cornil.
Resulting mostly from the pioneering work of Ekkyo's founding scientists and clinicians, Ekkylite is the first company's product. This "very first Laser Assisted Scar Healing system" combines a handheld laser, a "smart" safety device that guides the surgeon's moves during the laser treatment and a sterile sheath for working in the operating room. EkkyLite activates and stimulates the skin regeneration process resulting in faster healing, while preventing, reducing and sometimes completely erasing surgical scars.
Commercialization of the Ekkylite system is forecasted for 2008 in France and for 2009 successively in Europe and the United States.