Topical Cryotherapy and Keloid/Hypertrophic Scars
Start Date
6/10/2026
Completion Date
8/1/2027
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether the application of brief topical cryotherapy immediately before intralesional corticosteroid injections can reduce pain and injection resistance during routine treatment of keloid and hypertrophic scars in adult patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does topical cryotherapy applied before intralesional triamcinolone injection impact pain perceptions for participants with keloids or hypertrophic scars? Does topical cryotherapy affect provider-assessed injection resistance compared with standard injection alone? Researchers will split the keloid/hypertrophic scar into two halves. One half will be treated with cryotherapy followed by steroid injection, while the other half will be treated with steroid injection alone to evaluate differences in pain perception and injection resistance. Participants will rate pain after each injection using a 10-point numeric pain scale. Clinicians will rate the resistance after each injection using a 10-point numeric scale.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Range: 18 years to No maximum
Interventions
Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen
Intralesional Triamcinolone 10 mg/ml
Conditions
Locations
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3427
United States