A Phase 2 interventional study of Topical Timolol and Normal Saline in Surgical Wounds and Mohs Surgery, sponsored by Geisinger Clinic. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-14.
Sponsored by Geisinger Clinic · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this study clinical trial is to learn if topical timolol can accelerate healing and improve the cosmetic appearance of surgical wounds on the scalp following Mohs surgery. It will include Geisinger patients 18 year or older who undergo Mohs surgery of the scalp with planned wound healing by secondary intent. The main questions in aim to answer are:
Participants will be asked use either topical timolol or use standard wound care to treat their Mohs surgery scalp wound. They will follow-up around 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
Mohs surgical wounds of the scalp and anterior lower leg share several characteristics. They both involve convex surfaces with high tissue tension, and both are often allowed to heal by secondary intent. Secondary intent healing on the scalp is a slow process, with studies noting a mean time for re-epithelialization ranging from 7 to 26 weeks, depending on if the periosteum is intact.
Recently, topical timolol has garnered attention for its effectiveness in promoting healing of open wounds on the lower extremity. Studies have shown improved healing in patients with comorbidities, an impressive safety profile, and improved cosmesis in wounds healing by secondary intent.5 To our knowledge, no study to date has sought to evaluate the effect of topical timolol on surgical wounds of the scalp.
The study population will be patients at our institution who have undergone Mohs surgery and for whom secondary intent healing ("granulation") is deemed an appropriate treatment.
Endpoints will include time to re-epithelialization, percentage change in wound area, and cosmesis (measured using VAS) at pre-determined follow up intervals.
The potential contribution of this research is to provide evidence on the efficacy and safety of topical timolol in accelerating healing and improving the cosmetic appearance of surgical wounds on the scalp.
We anticipate that timolol will speed wound healing and improve cosmesis of scalp wounds, just as it has in other surgical and non-surgical granulating wounds. The benefits of faster healing and improved cosmesis to individual patients are obvious.
This study may also positively impact health care providers and the health care system, as we anticipate those with faster healing wounds will need fewer follow-up visits and make fewer calls for non-healing wounds.
The affordability of topical timolol could make effective wound care more accessible to a broader range of patients, potentially reducing overall healthcare costs associated with prolonged wound healing and complications. In the future, timolol may be used instead of expensive surgical procedures, allografts, xenografts, and other expensive grafting materials. This cost reduction is also anticipated to benefit health systems.
We anticipate that other institutions will adopt the use of topical timolol for Mohs wounds of the scalp, and that eventually this may become the new standard of care.
315 studies on the registry are indexed under Surgical Wound; 57 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 45 is below the median of 66 across 242 interventional studies indexed under Surgical Wound.
Browse Surgical Wound studies →Geisinger Clinic is the lead sponsor of 127 studies on the registry; 17 are open to participants now.
Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 7 (78%) have results posted.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Age: Adults aged 18 years and older. Condition: Patients who have undergone Mohs surgery on the scalp. Consent: Ability to provide . Willingness to Participate: Willingness to comply with study procedures and attend follow-up visits.
Healing by Secondary Intention: Wounds intended to heal by secondary intention.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
This arm will have their wounds treated with topical timolol.
Drug: Topical Timolol
This arm will have their wounds treated with normal saline/standard of care.
Drug: Normal Saline
Topical timolol is the active drug that will be compared to placebo in the trial.
Normal saline is the placebo that will be compared to topical timolol in the trial.
Healing At 12 Weeks
Percentage of patients achieving complete re-epithelialization at 12 weeks
Time frame: From treatment start to follow up 12 weeks later
Scar Cosmesis
Scar cosmesis calculated using visual analog scale (VAS)
Time frame: Calculated at 4, 8, and 12 week follow up after treatment start.
Healing At 8 Weeks
Percentage of patients achieving complete re-epithelialization at 8 weeks
Time frame: From treatment start to follow up 8 weeks later
Healing At 4 Weeks
Percentage of patients achieving complete re-epithelialization at 4 weeks
Time frame: From treatment start to follow up 4 weeks later
Change In Wound Area at Follow Up
Percentage change in overall wound area at specified follow up windows.
Time frame: Calculated at 4, 8, and 12 week follow up after treatment start.
Calls for Non-healing Wounds
The number of calls made to our clinic for non-healing wounds or other wound related concerns.
Time frame: From treatment start to 12 weeks.
Visits for Non-healing Wounds
The number of visits (other than planned follow up) made to our clinic for non-healing wounds or other wound related concerns.
Time frame: From treatment start to 12 weeks.
Plan to share: No — Although we feel that re-identification of anonymized participants using IPD would be very low risk, we prefer to not add any additional risk of patient identification. Furthermore, funding for this study is limited, and preparing data for sharing, including anonymizing it and creating documentation may not be possible due to budget and time constraints.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Timolol