ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07836569Updated Sep 29, 2026

Outcomes of the A.S.A.P. Algorithm for Keloids: A Controlled Prospective Study

An interventional study of A.S.A.P. Algorithm in Keloid, sponsored by Gisele Viana de Oliveira. Completed at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-29.

Sponsored by Gisele Viana de Oliveira · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 1 year after the study started (first participant enrolled Sep 2025, registered Sep 2026).
Updated Sep 25, 2026Eligibility revisedTitle changedGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
116
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if the A.S.A.P. algorithm can treat and improve clinical and objective outcomes in patients with keloids.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does sequential treatment with the A.S.A.P. algorithm significantly improve keloid scar characteristics and firmness compared to baseline? Are the longitudinal clinical and objective improvements greater in keloids treated with the A.S.A.P. algorithm compared to an untreated control group? Researchers will compare keloids treated with the sequential A.S.A.P. algorithm to a concurrent untreated group of keloids to see if the treatment algorithm produces superior improvements in scar severity and firmness.

Participants will:

Undergo sequential treatment according to the A.S.A.P. algorithm for at least 6 months, which includes hydrocolloid occlusion, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), vascular-targeted technologies, intralesional triamcinolone plus 5-fluorouracil, and treatment of residual pigmentation.

Complete clinical scar evaluations at baseline and follow-up using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and Hamilton Scar Scale.

Undergo objective scar firmness measurements at baseline and follow-up using a durometer.

If in the nonrandomized control group, be prospectively observed and assessed at baseline and follow-up without receiving active treatment.

Read the detailed description

Keloid management remains challenging due to clinical heterogeneity, variable treatment responses, and limited objective evidence supporting multimodal treatment strategies. The A.S.A.P. algorithm is a structured, sequential, predominantly nonsurgical protocol incorporating Assessment, Softening, Approach, and Pigmentation management.

This prospective, longitudinal, quasi-experimental study aims to evaluate within-patient changes in clinical and objective keloid outcomes following treatment with the A.S.A.P. algorithm over a minimum 6-month period, while comparing these changes against a concurrent nonrandomized group of untreated keloids.

Study Workflow:

Assessment (A): Initial clinical evaluation, symptom assessment, and classification of keloid lesions.

Softening (S): Application of hydrocolloid occlusion, silicone dressings, or pressure garments for 2-12 months to reduce tissue firmness, alleviate symptoms, and prepare the lesion for injections.

Approach (A): Utilization of vascular-targeted technologies (such as Intense Pulsed Light - IPL) followed by monthly intralesional injections combining triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or bleomycin.

Pigmentation \& Quality (P): Management of residual hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation and skin texture using topical therapies (hydroquinone, glycolic acid, 8-methoxypsoralen [8-MOP]), chemical peels, microneedling, or fractional lasers.

Outcome Measurements:

Lesion changes are evaluated at baseline and at follow-up intervals using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), Hamilton Scar Scale, and objective durometer measurements to quantify skin firmness and elasticity.

02

Conditions studied

  • Keloid

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Keywords

  • Keloid
  • Multimodal Treatment
  • Cicatrix
  • Lasers
03

In context

Keloid

138 studies on the registry are indexed under Keloid; 26 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 116 is above the median of 30 across 109 interventional studies indexed under Keloid.

Browse Keloid studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Gisele Viana de Oliveira as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

The criteria were revised on the registry on Sep 25, 2026. See what changed

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male or female patients aged 18 years or older
  • Clinical diagnosis of keloid established by an experienced senior dermatologist
  • No treatment received for keloid for at least 12 months prior to study enrollment
  • Willingness to participate in the study, documented by written

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concomitant medical conditions requiring systemic or therapy
  • Failure to adhere to the proposed treatment protocol
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

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.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
116 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    A.S.A.P. Treatment Group

    Patients receiving sequential treatment according to the A.S.A.P. algorithm.

    Other: A.S.A.P. Algorithm

  • No intervention
    Untreated Control Group

    Concurrent nonrandomized control group prospectively observed and assessed at baseline and follow-up without active treatment.

Interventions

  • OtherA.S.A.P. Algorithm

    A - Assessment: Baseline clinical evaluation including standardized photo documentation, phototype assessment, and skin durometer measurements. S - Soften: Continuous occlusive hydrocolloid dressings (DuoDERM) secured with Micropore, changed biweekly in-clinic or self-managed with monthly evaluations. A - Approach: Monthly sessions of low-level laser therapy (7 minutes) and vascular technologies \[Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) 540nm (12-17 J, 15 ms) and Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) 1064nm (3 mm spot, 20 J/cm², 620-650 ms)\]. Followed immediately by intralesional injection of triamcinolone plus 5-fluorouracil (1:9 ratio; 0.2 mL per 1.5 cm², max 1.5 mL/session) and re-application of occlusive dressings. P - Pigmentation: After lesion flattening, pigmentary alterations are treated using light and laser devices (IPL 640nm, picosecond laser), retinoic acid peels, and topical depigmenting agents.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline in Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) Score

    The VSS evaluates four clinical scar parameters: vascularity (0-3), pigmentation (0-2), pliability (0-5), and height (0-3), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 13. Lower scores represent clinical improvement, while higher scores indicate greater scar severity.

    Time frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline in Hamilton Scar Scale Score

    Clinical assessment of scar characteristics using the Hamilton Burn-Scar Rating Scale, evaluating thickness (0-3), irregularity (0-4), vascularity (0-4), and pigmentation (0-3). Total score ranges from 0 to 14, where 0 represents normal skin and 14 represents maximum scar severity. Higher scores indicate worse outcome.

    Time frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation

  2. Change from Baseline in Objective Scar Firmness

    Objective measurement of keloid tissue induration and hardness performed using a skin durometer.

    Time frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation

  3. QualiFibro: Quality of Life Questionnaire for Patients with Fibroproliferative Scars

    Minimum score: -5 Maximum score: +5 Direction: Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater impact of the scar on physical and psychological well-being).

    Time frame: Baseline and 6-18 months post-treatment initiation

  4. Beck Depression Inventory-II

    Minimum score: 0 Maximum score: 63 Scale: 21 items, each scored from 0 to 3. These values refer to the BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory-II).

    Time frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation.

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Gisele Viana Dermatologia
    Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30320-670, Brazil
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Conte S, Kamali K, Muncey-Buckley M, Abbas K, Sabljic T, Mukovozov IM. Complications of Body Piercings: A Systematic Review. Cutis. 2023 Sep;112(3):139-145. doi: 10.12788/cutis.0847. PubMed 37903388 ↗
  • Murray JC, Pollack SV, Pinnell SR. Keloids: a review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1981 Apr;4(4):461-70. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(81)70048-3. PubMed 7014664 ↗
  • Ogawa R. Keloid and Hypertrophic Scars Are the Result of Chronic Inflammation in the Reticular Dermis. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Mar 10;18(3):606. doi: 10.3390/ijms18030606. PubMed 28287424 ↗
  • Kim HJ, Kim YH. Comprehensive Insights into Keloid Pathogenesis and Advanced Therapeutic Strategies. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 12;25(16):8776. doi: 10.3390/ijms25168776. PubMed 39201463 ↗
  • Valle LNDC, Mendes VB, Melchiors Stahlschmidt AP, Andrade FR, Silva MR, de Oliveira GV. Body appreciation and psychosocial indicators in patients with keloids, hypertrophic scars, and burn scars. Scars Burn Heal. 2026 Jul 24;12:20595131261468100. doi: 10.1177/20595131261468100. eCollection 2026 Jan-Dec. PubMed 42502838 ↗
  • Falanga V, Bucalo B. Use of a durometer to assess skin hardness. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1993 Jul;29(1):47-51. doi: 10.1016/0190-9622(93)70150-r. PubMed 8315077 ↗
  • Shaheen A, Khaddam J, Kesh F. Risk factors of keloids in Syrians. BMC Dermatol. 2016 Sep 20;16(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12895-016-0050-5. PubMed 27646558 ↗
  • Brandao MPAS, Vieira CFO, Rocha DBB, Silva MR, da Silva JA, Gold MH, de Oliveira GV. Outcomes of a Non-Surgical Combination Therapy for Keloids in Skin of Color Patients: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Int J Dermatol. 2025 Aug;64(8):1434-1440. doi: 10.1111/ijd.17829. Epub 2025 May 5. PubMed 40322860 ↗
  • de Oliveira GV, Nunes TA, Magna LA, Cintra ML, Kitten GT, Zarpellon S, Raposo Do Amaral CM. Silicone versus nonsilicone gel dressings: a controlled trial. Dermatol Surg. 2001 Aug;27(8):721-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1524-4725.2001.00345.x. PubMed 11493295 ↗
  • Oliveira GV, Chinkes D, Mitchell C, Oliveras G, Hawkins HK, Herndon DN. Objective assessment of burn scar vascularity, erythema, pliability, thickness, and planimetry. Dermatol Surg. 2005 Jan;31(1):48-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31004. PubMed 15720096 ↗
  • Crowe JM, Simpson K, Johnson W, Allen J. Reliability of photographic analysis in determining change in scar appearance. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1998 Mar-Apr;19(2):183-6. doi: 10.1097/00004630-199803000-00019. PubMed 9556325 ↗
  • Sullivan T, Smith J, Kermode J, McIver E, Courtemanche DJ. Rating the burn scar. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1990 May-Jun;11(3):256-60. doi: 10.1097/00004630-199005000-00014. PubMed 2373734 ↗
  • van Zuijlen PP, Angeles AP, Kreis RW, Bos KE, Middelkoop E. Scar assessment tools: implications for current research. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2002 Mar;109(3):1108-22. doi: 10.1097/00006534-200203000-00052. PubMed 11884845 ↗
  • de Oliveira GV, Metsavaht LD, Kroumpouzos G. ASAP revisited: The Brazilian sequential algorithm for treating keloids and hypertrophic scars. Clin Dermatol. 2026 Jan-Feb;44(1):192-196. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2025.10.011. Epub 2025 Oct 29. PubMed 41173162 ↗
  • Viana de Oliveira G, Druck PA, Acevedo AAL, Hexsel D, Gontijo GT, Rivera GH, Velazquez-Arenas LL, Addor FASA, Zaputovich FA, Leal-Silva H, Leal-Delgado S, Escribens CE, Murillo KDO, Misticone S, D'orsi Metsavaht L, de la Riva J, Galimberti DR, Jedwab SKK, Garcia HRG, Silva MRE, Andrade MR, Reis-Filho E, Silva MR, Krompouzos G, Guzman-Sanchez D. Consensus on energy-based devices for keloids and hypertrophic scars: A Latin American Delphi study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026 Aug 10. doi: 10.1111/jdv.70636. Online ahead of print. PubMed 42573498 ↗
  • Oliveira GV, Metsavaht LD, Kadunc BV, Jedwab SKK, Bressan MS, Stolf HO, Castro RG, Bezerra SMFMC, Calil DA, Addor FAZ, Fraga JCS, Reis CMS, Reis-Filho E, Silva MR, Ramos-E-Silva M, Hexsel DM. Treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars. Position statement of the Brazilian expert group GREMCIQ. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021 Nov;35(11):2128-2142. doi: 10.1111/jdv.17484. Epub 2021 Jul 15. PubMed 34263958 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to patient privacy restrictions, but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

09

Timeline

2 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Sep 2025 to primary completion in Jul 2026, 10 months.

Of 20 interventional studies with no phase under Keloid, half reached primary completion within 17 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 7 and three quarters within 36. This study's 10 months is below that.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 17, 2026
First posted
Sep 23, 2026
StartActual
Sep 1, 2025
Primary completionActual
Jul 1, 2026
CompletionActual
Sep 10, 2026
Last update
Sep 29, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Eligibility
4 inclusion criteria added, 1 removed; 1 exclusion criterion edited, 1 added
What changed in the criteria
Inclusion criteria
  • RemovedPatients were eligible for inclusion if they were male or female patients aged ≥18 years with a clinical diagnosis of keloid established by an experienced senior dermatologist, who did not receive treatment for their keloid for at least 12 months prior to study enrollment, and were willing to participate in the study, as documented by written informed consent.
  • AddedMale or female patients aged 18 years or older
  • AddedClinical diagnosis of keloid established by an experienced senior dermatologist
  • AddedNo treatment received for keloid for at least 12 months prior to study enrollment
  • AddedWillingness to participate in the study, documented by written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
  • EditedExclusion criteria included patients with concomitantConcomitant medical conditions requiring systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressive therapy and those who failed to adhere to the proposed treatment protocol.
  • AddedFailure to adhere to the proposed treatment protocol
Sep 25, 2026
Secondary outcomes
Revised in 2 updates
What changed on Sep 25, 2026
  • AddedQualiFibro: Quality of Life Questionnaire for Patients with Fibroproliferative ScarsTime frame: Baseline and 6-18 months post-treatment initiation
  • AddedBeck Depression Inventory-IITime frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation.
  • RemovedMeasurement of Outcomes on Quality of lifeTime frame: Baseline and 6-18 months post treatment innitiation
  • DescriptionChange from Baseline in Hamilton Scar Scale Score: how it is measured was reworded
What changed on Sep 29, 2026
  • DescriptionChange from Baseline in Hamilton Scar Scale Score: how it is measured was reworded
across 2 updates, Sep 25, 2026 – Sep 29, 2026
Title
Clinical and Objective Outcomes of the A.S.A.P. Algorithm for Keloids: A Controlled Prospective Longitudinal Within-Patient Study With an Untreated Comparison Group
Sep 25, 2026
Show all 2 updates
  1. Sep 29, 2026
    Secondary outcomes 1 description edited
    What changed in the outcomes
    • DescriptionChange from Baseline in Hamilton Scar Scale Score: how it is measured was reworded
  2. Sep 25, 2026
    Eligibility 4 inclusion criteria added, 1 removed; 1 exclusion criterion edited, 1 added
    What changed in the criteria
    Inclusion criteria
    • RemovedPatients were eligible for inclusion if they were male or female patients aged ≥18 years with a clinical diagnosis of keloid established by an experienced senior dermatologist, who did not receive treatment for their keloid for at least 12 months prior to study enrollment, and were willing to participate in the study, as documented by written informed consent.
    • AddedMale or female patients aged 18 years or older
    • AddedClinical diagnosis of keloid established by an experienced senior dermatologist
    • AddedNo treatment received for keloid for at least 12 months prior to study enrollment
    • AddedWillingness to participate in the study, documented by written informed consent
    Exclusion criteria
    • EditedExclusion criteria included patients with concomitantConcomitant medical conditions requiring systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressive therapy and those who failed to adhere to the proposed treatment protocol.
    • AddedFailure to adhere to the proposed treatment protocol
    Secondary outcomes 2 added, 1 removed, 1 description edited
    What changed in the outcomes
    • AddedQualiFibro: Quality of Life Questionnaire for Patients with Fibroproliferative ScarsTime frame: Baseline and 6-18 months post-treatment initiation
    • AddedBeck Depression Inventory-IITime frame: Baseline and at least 6 months post-treatment initiation.
    • RemovedMeasurement of Outcomes on Quality of lifeTime frame: Baseline and 6-18 months post treatment innitiation
    • DescriptionChange from Baseline in Hamilton Scar Scale Score: how it is measured was reworded
    Title Clinical and Objective Outcomes of the A.S.A.P. Algorithm for Keloids: A Controlled Prospective Longitudinal Within-Patient Study With an Untreated Comparison Group
    + 2 other changes: description and arm descriptions

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 ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07836569
Lead sponsor
Gisele Viana de Oliveira
Responsible party
Gisele Viana de Oliveira (Associate Professor, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Sep 23, 2026
Start date
Sep 1, 2025
Primary completion
Jul 1, 2026
Completion
Sep 10, 2026
Last update
Sep 29, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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