"It's taking a long time, but I'm actually growing new tissue," the Titusville resident said, referring to a thin layer of skin covering a 7-year-old wound.

Although most wounds heal on their own, experts say, about 15 percent to 20 percent of wounds take years to heal -- or never heal at all.

The consequences can be debilitating, making walking or other simple tasks arduous and painful. Or they can be dire, resulting in a loss of limb.

That's why several local doctors think a new formulation called platelet-rich plasma holds so much promise. They claim the gel will revolutionize the way non-healing wounds are treated and speed recovery for many surgery patients, including those undergoing cosmetic procedures.

Platelets help wounds heal by releasing growth factors that set off a cascade of complex events involved in wound-healing.

The gel contains high levels of two growth factors, in particular, that are responsible for early stages of wound-healing and speed development of new blood cells.

"From start to finish, it only takes about an hour to make the gel," said Dr. Paul Buza, the neurologist who is treating Andrews at the Brevard Regional Hyperbaric Center in Melbourne.

"It's a 'nonsurgical surgical graft.' That's the beauty of it," he said.

While published data about its action in patients is sparse, Buza said, the gel built a strong reputation in hospital operating rooms during the past decade before moving into medical offices and outpatient clinics in early 2000.

Each treatment costs about $500, and because the gel is made from patients' own blood, it is "totally safe," Buza said.

It carries none of the infection risks, such as bacterial or viral infections, associated with donor-blood transfusions, and none of the allergic or immune reactions associated with blood types that don't match.

"These are significant benefits," said Buza, the center's medical director.

To make the gel, a perfusionist -- a specially trained medical technician -- draws a small amount of blood, then puts it through a machine to separate the blood-clotting platelets from whole blood.

The platelets are mixed with calcium and thrombin, which activate an array of growth factors involved in wound-healing, tissue repair and tissue remodeling.

The resulting mix, placed directly inside a wound, immediately begins "telling other tissues to grow," Buza said.

Chronic wounds can arise for all sorts of reasons related to circulatory problems.

Diabetes, which can damage the blood vessels, often prevents wounds from healing and is the nation's leading cause of leg amputation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Other causes of chronic wounds include coronary-artery disease and venous stasis, a circulatory condition of the legs that can occur at any age, but is more common in the elderly.

"Wounds are a serious, serious problem" said Andrews, who recently started a monthly support group in Melbourne for other wound sufferers. Buza calls them "the walking wounded."

Her own wound failed to heal because of vein problems related to her age and weight, she said.

In September 1994, when she cut her leg on the edge of her dishwasher, "I put a Band-Aid on it and forgot about it," Andrews said. "I thought it had healed."

Instead, about a year after the injury, the scab fell off while she was showering, leaving behind a sore and discolored area the size of a half-dollar.

Although the wound never became infected, she said, poor circulation prevented it from responding to traditional wound-healing therapies: topical antibiotics, regular cleanings and dietary changes, including taking in more calcium and vitamin K to spur blood-clot production.

A surgeon even suggested trying a skin graft, but she rejected the idea.

"It made no sense to me," she said. "If there is poor circulation down there to begin with, why would a skin graft help?" she asked.

'Hot topic'


Clevens, Buza and Dr. Lance Grenevicki, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Melbourne, all actively promote the use of platelet gel on the lecture circuit and in quarterly seminars in Melbourne that attract visitors, from as far away as Korea, they said. None has a financial connection to the gel product.