The Scar Free Foundation is a

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

charity focused on

scar free healing Scar free healing is the process by which significant injuries can heal without permanent damage to the tissue the injury has affected. In most healing, scars form due to the fibrosis and wound contraction, however in scar free healing, tissue i ...

. It was founded in 1998 by plastic surgeon Michael Brough, following his work with survivors of the

King's Cross Fire The King's Cross fire occurred in 1987 at King's Cross St Pancras tube station in London, England, causing 31 fatalities. It began under a wooden escalator before spreading into the ticket hall in a flashover. The fire began at approximately ...

in London. Initially known as The Healing Foundation, it was relaunched as The Scar Free Foundation in 2016. The charity funds medical research into wound healing and scarring conditions. Current research is focused on identifying the pathways that lead to

scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrosis, fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other Organ (anatomy), organs, and biological tissue, t ...

ring, developing new treatment options, and improving the psychological outcomes and quality of life of patients currently living with scars. The current Chairman is former Medical Director of the NHS, Sir

Bruce Keogh Professor Sir Bruce Edward Keogh, KBE, FMedSci, FRCS, FRCP ( ; born 24 November 1954) is a Rhodesian-born British surgeon who specialises in cardiac surgery. He was medical director of the National Health Service in England from 2007 and ...

, and the Chief Executive is

Richard Nugee Lieutenant General Richard Edward Nugee, CB, CVO, CBE (born 3 June 1963) is a retired senior British Army officer. He served in several senior roles including Defence Services Secretary (2015–2016) and Chief of Defence People (2016–2020), ...

CB CVO CBE.

Peter Weissberg Peter Leslie Weissberg is a British physician. Weissberg graduated from Birmingham University with an MBChB degree in Medicine 1976 and an MD degree Medicine in 1985. Weissberg was appointed as the first British Heart Foundation Professor of C ...

CBE is the Research Council Chairman.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones; 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest sibling of King Charles III. Sophie grew up in Brenchley, ...

is the charity's Royal Patron. Notable Ambassadors include

Simon Weston Simon Weston (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War. Early life Weston was born at Caerphilly District Miners ...

CBE and Pam Warren.

History

Phoenix Appeal

Mr Michael Brough was the leading surgeon at the

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...

on 18 November 1987, when a wooden escalator at the King's Cross underground station burst into flames. The intense fire in a confined space resulted in 31 deaths; 19 survivors suffered flame burns. Inspired by his experiences, Brough initiated efforts to improve treatment for the physical and psychological impact of burns. He set up the Phoenix Appeal in 1988 to fund the establishment of the first university department of plastic and reconstructive surgery at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

The Healing Foundation

In 1998, as Treasurer of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), Brough and his fellow Trustees established The Healing Foundation. Building on the groundwork laid by the Phoenix Appeal, The Healing Foundation aimed to advance research into surgical and psychological healing techniques for individuals with disfiguring conditions. Various UK medical membership bodies provided support to The Healing Foundation as Partner Member Organisations. These partnerships bolstered the charity's credibility, networking capabilities, and financial resources.These organisations were BAPRAS, the British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons, the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the org ...

, the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Burns Association, and the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. John Hart CBE was appointed as the first Director of The Healing Foundation in February 1999. Brendan Eley joined the organisation as Appeal Director in 2001, before being made CEO in 2004. Notable Research Chairmen for The Healing Foundation include Sir

Kenneth Calman Sir Kenneth Charles Calman (born 25 December 1941) is a Scottish doctor and academic who formerly worked as a surgeon, oncologist and cancer researcher and held the position of Chief Medical Officer of Scotland, and then England. He was Warden ...

and Sir John Temple. Notable Trustees include Sir

Stuart Rose Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, Baron Rose of Monewden, (born 17 March 1949) is a British businessman and life peer, who was the executive chairman of Marks & Spencer until 2010, remaining as chairman until early 2011. He was knighted in 2008 for his ...

and

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...

The Scar Free Foundation

In 2016, The Healing Foundation officially rebranded as The Scar Free Foundation. This change was made following a detailed assessment of previous work and future priorities with clinicians, scientists, Partner Member Organisations, and people with lived experience of scarring. The charity pivoted to focus exclusively on wound healing and scarring conditions. A new Research Strategy was developed by a panel chaired by Professor Sir John Iredale. Brendan Eley was succeeded as CEO by

in April 2023.

Research centres and major projects

The Scar Free Foundation (formerly The Healing Foundation) has co-ordinated research projects in

burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

s, cleft, conflict wounds, and scarring

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

since its inception in 1998. Notable projects include:

Burns

The Healing Foundation facilitated the establishment of two research centres dedicated to burns. The first, situated at

Frenchay Hospital Frenchay Hospital was a large hospital in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the north east outskirts of Bristol, England, which closed in 2014. It was managed by North Bristol NHS Trust. From April to December 2014, most of Frenchay Hospital w ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, aimed to develop innovative techniques for burn prevention and enhance clinical care for affected children. The Centre for Children's Burns Research was officially opened in June 2013 by

. Subsequently, another research hub, the Healing Foundation Centre for Burns Research, was inaugurated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

in October 2013. A notable outcome of The Healing Foundation Centre for Children's Burns Research was th
SmartWound PREDICT Dressing
developed by scientists at the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

. This dressing changes colour upon detecting bacteria, providing an alternative method for infection detection.

Cleft

The Scar Free Foundation initiated the Cleft Collective, a large-scale multigenerational

cohort study A cohort study is a particular form of longitudinal study that samples a Cohort (statistics), cohort (a group of people who share a defining characteristic, typically those who experienced a common event in a selected period, such as birth or gra ...

investigating the causes, treatments, and long-term outcomes of children born with cleft lip and/or palate. With over 10,000 participants recruited from all 16 Cleft Centres in the UK, the project stands as the largest biobank of its kind globally. The collected data is available for researchers from various disciplines, resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Conflict wounds

In 2018, the Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research was established at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

. The centre's studies aim to mitigate the physical and psychological impacts of scarring among servicemen, women, and individuals injured in terrorist attacks. It was established in partnership with the CASEVAC Club, a members organisation similar to the

Guinea Pig Club The Guinea Pig Club, established in 1941, was a social club and mutual support network for British and allied aircrew injured during World War II. Its membership was made up of patients of Archibald McIndoe in Ward III at Queen Victoria Hospit ...

Regenerative research

The Healing Foundation Centre at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

was opened in 2007. It was focused on understanding wound healing and tissue regeneration mechanisms, with notable discoveries including the identification of genes activated during tissue regeneration in animals. Additionally, the Scar Free Foundation co-funded the 3D BioFace project at

Swansea University Swansea University () is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it chang ...

. This ongoing initiative employs 3D bioprinting technology to reconstruct facial

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. Semi-transparent and non-porous, it is usually covered by a tough and fibrous membrane called perichondrium. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints ...

, offering less invasive and more personalised solutions for patients requiring facial reconstruction, such as those with

microtia Microtia is a congenital deformity where the auricle (external ear) is underdeveloped. A completely undeveloped auricle is referred to as anotia. Because microtia and anotia have the same origin, it can be referred to as microtia-anotia. Micro ...

or bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome.

Psychology

The Healing Foundation funded research programs aimed at understanding the psychological impact of visible differences, such as scarring and limb loss from conflict. Notable projects include the Appearance Research Collaboration, which focused on identifying psychological factors contributing to successful adjustment to life with a visible difference. The result of this programme of research was the publication of CBT-base
intervention manual
for professionals working with people with visible differences. Also notable is UNITS, the first study to assess the psychological impact of altered appearance due to scarring and limb loss sustained during military conflict. Led by Dr. Mary Keeling at the

University of the West of England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a Public university, public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of hi ...

, this study aimed to develop tailored support materials for affected veterans and their families.

References

External links

The Scar Free Foundation website

The Scar Free Foundation 2022 Impact Report

Centre for Appearance Research, UWE

The Scar Free Foundation and Health and Care Research Wales Programme of Regenerative Medicine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scar Free Foundation, The Charities based in the United Kingdom Charitable trusts 1999 establishments in the United Kingdom