Fig. 1.

(a, b) Erythema around lancet-induced wounds and (c, d) in laser wounds. (a, c) Images (20× magnification) were taken with a handyscope and (b, d) the erythematous areas (mm²) were quantified using ImageJ software (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). (b) The area under the curve (AUC) between days 3 and 5 decreased in zinc oxide (ZnO)-treated (1.81 ± 0.27 mm² · day) lancet wounds (p < 0.05, 1-tailed paired t-test) compared with placebo-treated (2.23 ±0.31 mm² · day) wounds (14 wounds with ecchymosis were excluded). The mean of the areas of the anterior and posterior lancet wounds was used for statistical analyses. (d) The extent of erythema was similar for ZnO and placebo-treated laser wounds. Scale bar: 1 mm. Mean±standard error of the mean (SEM).