Using electricity to treat skin wounds may sound unconventional, but scientists in China and the US have developed a self-powered bandage that accelerated wound healing in rats. The findings are published in the journal ACS Nano. Skin has a remarkable ability to heal itself, but in some people, such as those suffering from diabetes, wounds heal very slowly or not at all. Such patients are thus at risk of chronic pain, infection and scarring. Doctors have explored various approaches to help chronic wounds heal, including bandaging, dressing, exposure to oxygen and growth-factor therapy, but these methods often show limited effectiveness. Meanwhile, as early as the 1960s, researchers have observed that electrical stimulation could help skin wounds heal. However, the equipment for generating an electric field is often large and may require patient hospitalization … Read more