Cortisone, vitamin A, and wound healing: the importance of measuring wound surface area.

Traditional methods of measuring wound strength have often ignored one of the most important variables, i.e., wound surface area. Using a readily reproducible method of determining wound surface area, the effect of topical vitamin A on steroid-treated rats was studied. Findings revealed a significant (P less than 0.001) increase in wound strength with topical vitamin A application. No difference could be detected between steroid-treated and saline-treated rats when wound surface area was taken into account. Measurement of wound surface area is essential for meaningful results in wound healing studies.