Mar 03, 2010

Silicone gel proven more effective than other topical scar treatments

Trauma victims, burn victims and cosmetic therapy patients know that scarring is an unfortunate, yet expected, side effect of their specific incident or procedure.

While some topical treatments for scar healing have become traditional remedies, evidence suggests that many of these methods are more myth than scientific fact.

According to recent studies, the use of onion extract therapy, which has commonly been used in the U.S. for scar treatment, has not shown any clinical benefits to minimize the appearance of topical marks, ModernMedicine.com reports.

Additional research by Dr James Spencer, a practicing dermatologist in St Petersburg, Florida, found that the common scar healing remedy vitamin E is not only ineffective in scar healing, but can actually cause allergic reactions.

Instead, Spencer recommends using silicone gel sheeting to treat hypertrophic scars, citing 10 years of successfully using the product to help shrink scars.

Compared to more invasive treatment options, which often require sanding down the edges of a scar, silicone gels and ointments are much easier to use for patients, Spencer told the news source.

Silicone gel sheeting has been found to hydrate scars, hasten the scar healing process and improve the color and appearance of new or older abrasions.
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