Fish skin can help in treating burns : Scientist

London, Dec 26 : Using fish skin to heal burns can be cheaper and less painful than bandages, says a scientist.

Using the skin of Tilapia, a fresh water fish, on burns could be effective since it is rich in moisture and collagen proteins, the Daily Mail quoted Felipe Rocha, a neurologist at the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil, said.

Tilapia skin contains a type of collagen that is similar to the protein found in human skin. This is thought to interact with a patient’s immune system to speed up healing. More than 300 patients worldwide have had the unusual therapy, which shows up as a fishy pattern even after it has been sterilized and the scales removed.

“The major concerns were wheather the skins would subsequently come off, if the fish odour would remain,” Rocha said.

Once sterilized, Tilapia skin undergoes radiation therapy to kill any lingering viruses. It can then be stored for up to two years if refrigerated, before simply being cut to size and placed over a burn instead of a bandage. The skin then removed after around one week, with no need for daily dressing changes, the report pointed out.

Tilapia skin has been shown to be more resistant than the previously used pig skin, which enables it to withstand stretching. Wounds may also close faster, with patients reporting less pain when treated with fish skin over the traditional silver sulfadiazine, according to various research.