I am an Ambassador for this amazing charity, I will tell you who they are! They are one of the most important charities in modern times that you have never heard of!
Unless you have been made disfigured, scarred by accident, attack or operation you probably would not have considered the emotional consequences of scars. But there you are, you’ve now thought about it and get it…. Did you realise that one of the major reasons for failed heart surgeries is due to scar tissue? Probably not, well I never did anyway… Imagine then a world without scars, where anything is possible… This is:
THE SCAR FREE FOUNDATION
Wounds cost the NHS billions of pounds every year and impact on thousands of lives. In 2014-2015 19,239 people in England and Wales sustained a burn injury which required hospital care. Since 2004 more than 140,000 burn injury cases have been recorded on the International Burn Injury Database.
The Scar Free Foundation brings together exceptional teams from vital academic fields, science and clinical disciples to drive research focused on a shared goal: scar free healing.
We currently have three areas of research focus:
1. CONFLICT RESEARCH
The Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research, focused on helping to advance the rehabilitation and recovery of servicemen and women wounded on the battlefield, is based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The Centre was opened in November 2019 by our patron, HRH The Countess of Wessex and is the first military and civilian wound research centre of its kind in the world.
We are funding three flagship projects in the field of conflict wound research. Our UNITS psychological project (taking place in the Centre for Appearance Research in the University of West England) is assessing the psychological impact of altered appearance as a result of scarring and limb loss during military conflict.
Our scar laser study (based in burns centres in Birmingham and Swansea) is exploring the effectiveness of laser therapy to treat historic scars, and is now recruiting participants.
We are also funding the development of an anti-scarring gel dressing in Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which is currently undergoing the first-in-human trial.
2. UK BURNS RESEARCH NETWORK
Since 2012, we have helped to establish the UK as global leader for burns research. We are funding three research projects.
In the Centre for Appearance Research (University of West England), we are funding research with burns patients and family members to evaluate the physical and psychological challenges associated with burn injuries, and how these change over time.
We are also funding a national campaign – the SafeTea campaign – aiming to prevent hot drink injuries in children – one of the most common injuries in young children. This was featured on BBC news, Channel 4 News as well as many other news outlets.
In the University of Bristol, we are supporting research to establish a single set of key outcome measures that all researchers and clinicians report on, making it easy to compare and evaluate burns treatment.
3. CLEFT COLLECTIVE
Established in 2012 and hosted by the University of Bristol, The Scar Free Foundation Cleft Gene Bank and Cohort Study collects biological samples of children born with a cleft and their parents, along with information on demographic, lifestyle and psychological data. With 3,000 families now participating in the study, making it one of the world’s largest biobanks, the study is providing unprecedented insight into what causes cleft, the best treatments and how a cleft might affect a child as they develop.
The Scar Free Foundation celebrated its 20th Anniversary in December, having funded more than £50 million of life-changing research into wound healing and scarring conditions.
We were also incredibly proud to have received the Sun Military Award for Innovation in February 2020. The Award recognizes the unique partnership between the Foundation and the Casevac Club for the pioneering research partnership underway at the Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research.
How you can help! Click here to find out how!
Daniel Jackson 