Topical

Background: Numerous ointments may be applied to surgical incisions in the postoperative period to minimize scar formation. There is little evidence assessing their efficacy on wound healing following foot and ankle procedures. This trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of Methods: A prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial of adults who had undergone elective foot and ankle surgery was performed. Participants were randomized into receiving either a protocol of Results: Significant improvements were noted in observer-reported wound vascularity, pigmentation, thickness, relief, pliability, and surface area with the use of Urucu, when compared to the control ointment. Overall, observers reported that scars treated with Urucu cream were found to more closely resemble normal skin with an overall POSAS score of 2.56 compared with 3.33 for the control ointment ( Conclusion: Topical Urucu ointment demonstrated promising early improvements in POSAS scores from both patients and observers, particularly in pigmentation and pliability domains, but findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size and short follow-up. Level of Evidence: Level I, randomized controlled trial.