Elemental composition changes between breast tissue with and without silicone gel sheeting and hypertrophic scar tissue.
Hypertrophic scars occur after dermal trauma and are characterized by being elevated above normal skin level as a result of an abundance of collagen. The application of silicone gel sheeting (SGS) has been found to be an effective method of treatment, causing them to regress much quicker than they would do naturally. Normal skin and hypertrophic scar tissue were characterized using proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Skin tissue that had been covered in SGS was also analyzed. For each element and sample type, the concentrations in the epidermis were plotted against the dermis. By considering the concentrations of breast tissue with and without SGS, it could be seen if the SGS changed the compositional structure of the skin. It was found that for the elements P, S, Cl, and K the SGS has no effect on the structure of the skin, as both breast types (with and without SGS) have regression lines that overlap. However, this work shows that there are significant differences for P in the dermis and Cl in the epidermis between the breast tissue with SGS and its control. Therefore, this work shows that the effect the SGS has on concentration occurs similarly for both the epidermis and dermis.