INCREDIBLE pictures have shown a burn victim “transformed into a mermaid” with fish skin bandages for their horror wounds.
Brazilian doctors first spearheaded the new treatment for burns victims using the skin of a tropical fish to heal bad injuries.
Twitter/@fasc1nateMind-boggling pictures show burn victim covered in scales[/caption]
The Tilapia fish was chosen because it’s one of the most common freshwater disease-resistant fish found in Brazil
The tilapia serves as a biological band-aid that is helpful in multiple ways after being grafted on.
It provides pain control, protection, and acts as a collagen scaffold for wound healing.
The innovative technique saw some social media users commenting a burn victim looked like they were “transformed into a mermaid”.
While others said that it was like a “real life” Aquaman story.
The initial breakthrough was the first time in medical history that researchers have used the skin of an aquatic animal as a band aid to treat lesions.
Maria Ines Candido was one of the first patients to be treated in October 2016 with the Tilapia fish skin procedure as part of the pilot project at the IJF Burns Unit.
After a gas cooker canister exploded in an accident at her workplace she was left with second degree burns to her arms, neck and some of her face.
She said: “Nurses used creams when I first arrived.
“I was in excruciating pain already and some of my wounds were really deep.
“When they put the creams into my wounds it was like I was being tortured and the touch of the water to shower it off caused so much pain.”
Maria Ines said the Tilapa fish skin treatment felt futuristic as if it was from a “sci-fi movie”.
She said: “I loved the treatment and would recommend it to anyone who has suffered like me.
“I was really surprised and grateful that it didn’t smell either.”
And Maria revealed she is nearly 100 percent better as the fish dressing made a huge difference to her recovery.
Analysis of the Tilapia skin revealed it contains optimum levels of collagen type one and high degrees of humidity, so it takes a long time to dry out.
According to suppliers, the popular fish which is mass produced in farms, is filleted for dining tables with 99 per cent of the skin thrown in the bin and one percent used for making arts and crafts products.
The discarded fish skin, donated for free, is now being used by researchers in the project.
These are important characteristics known for speeding up the healing of burns and for providing patients with essential proteins.
Dr Maciel, who is president of the Burns Support Institute, said: “We discovered the Tilapia fish skin performs significantly better in the healing process by soothing and curing severe wounds caused by burns.
“The skin triggers healing in roughly the same amount of time as the topical creams that we currently use in the conventional treatment.
“But the benefits of this alternative technique include reducing the trauma and pain suffered by patients because their dressing does not have to be changed daily.
“With the traditional treatment, it does.”
How does the treatment work?
The fish strips form a mould over the wound and almost appear as if they are part of the body.
Tilapia was chosen because it’s one of the most common freshwater, disease-resistant fish found in Brazil.
According to suppliers, the popular fish which is mass produced in farms, is fileted for dining tables with 99 per cent of the skin thrown in the bin and one percent used for making arts and crafts products.
The discarded fish skin, donated for free, is now being used by researchers in the project.
Analysis of the Tilapia skin revealed it contains optimum levels of collagen type one and high degrees of humidity, so it takes a long time to dry out.
These are important characteristics known for speeding up the healing of burns and for providing patients with essential proteins.
The fish skin also minimises the loss of liquids, plasma and protein from the injured area and drastically cuts down the risk of infection.
And it’s far cheaper to work with.
Before the temporary fishy dressing is used, researchers put the skin through a rigorous curing, decontamination, cooling and preservation process that removes scales, muscle tissue, toxins and any possibility of transmitted diseases.
It also gets rid of the fishy smell.
The cured skin is stretched and laminated then stored in refrigerated banks based in Sao Paulo, in strips of 10cm by 20cm for up to two years.
The aquatic dressing’s tensile strength is similar to human skin and remains flexible and easy to mould around a wound.
The Tilapia stays in place, covered with external bandages, for between seven to 11 days before being removed.