Pressure garments with “normal” compression did lose significantly more compression over 1 month (4.82 mmHg) than did the garments from the low compression class (2.57 mmHg).
Scars that were treated with garments from a “normal” compression class did score significantly better for thickness compared to the “low” compression class. The difference in thickness was most evident at 1 month. Thereafter no further significant improvement between the two different treatments over time could be obtained. This difference was not found for erythema.
Positive correlations could be found between erythema and thickness values at all of the three test points while changes in erythema and thickness only correlated significantly after the first month.
The pattern of change of both parameters correlated at a high level of significance after 3 months of treatment.
These data suggest that pressure garments that deliver a pressure of at least 15 mmHg pressure tend to accelerate scar maturation and that measurements of the pattern of change of the erythema can be used to predict changes in scar thickness and vice versa.