Researchers at St. Mary’s hospital have discovered that skin adhesive is effective in suturing the surgery marks of a pregnant woman after cesarean section (C-section).

According to the hospital, one out of two babies born in Korea went through a C-section last year.

However, most mothers are reluctant to have a C-section due to the fear of surgery and scarring in the abdomen after delivery. In particular, complications such as infection during suture after surgery may cause scars to become larger.

The team, led by Professor Park In-yang of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the hospital, has proved that Histoacryl, a medical adhesive, can reduce complications and are cosmetically superior compared to sewing the surgery area with a thread.

The researchers compared 209 mothers who used medical skin adhesives after C-section and 208 mothers who underwent conventional surgical methods.

As a result, the complication rate of surgical site complication occurred with medical skin adhesives was 3.4 percent, which was lower than that of suture using thread (5.3 percent).

Also, after comparing the two groups with the Vancouver scar scale, which comprehensively assessed skin scar size, area, and stiffness, there was no difference in the cosmetic effect between the two groups.

Compared with surgical threads, a medical skin adhesive spontaneously falls off when the surgical site heals. Also, it can reduce the time of operation as it does not require suturing, while removing the need for a bandage to prevent water from getting into the wound, reducing skin irritation and allowing post-operative showering.

“Although medical skin adhesive sutures have been expanding to surgical operations in recent years, they are rarely used in C-section surgery,” Professor Park said. “However, the substance can become an alternative to conventional surgical closure, as it is cosmetically superior and reduces the risk of complications.”

Skin adhesives may be useful, especially for mothers with cutaneous scarring, such as keloid skin, which is a symptom when the scarring spreads, he added.

PLoS ONE published the result of the study.