Scar Creams - the Science and Math of Using a Scar Cream or Gel Based Treatment
1. The Numbers Don't Lie. Scar Creams and Gels Work.
It is widely accepted that scar creams-containing silicone-must be applied at least twice a day.
It is recommended that a scar cream or gel be used for multiple weeks.
In only four months, here are the results discovered in a major medical center research study:
The size of scars decreased in 53% of test patients.
Scar tissue softened in 45% of patients studied.
Itching stopped for 45% of severe scarring victims.
Tenderness was reduced in 36% of those suffering sensitivity to touch.
While one in ten people develop serious keloid or hypertrophic scarring, the numbers are much higher in darker-pigmented skins.
This prompted a major study of the effectiveness of scar treatment products on brown skin. The researchers found the following results in their test subjects.
Doctors documented improvement in 50% of cases. Improvement included fading and size and swelling reduction.
Improvement appeared within a span of three to six months.
This study kept silicone on the scars for twelve hours a day.
Within two weeks, or as soon as a wound closes, you should start using the scar cream.
Why is quick action essential?
One reason is new scars need soothing. They itch, but scratching hurts the fragile skin. They are swollen and hurt, and irritants such as simple moving air can be painful.
A second reason is a danger of infection, which slows or stops the healing process. Slow healing increases scar tissue growth.
2. The Science Doesn't Lie. Scar Creams and Gels Work
Doctors still don't fully know why silicone works as scar treatment. They DO know that it does work.
Silicone based treatments encourage the retention of moisture. Moisture is required for quick healing of any wound. When healing is speedier, scarring is less.
Silicone products encourage fading. As the color is erased, the scar appears smaller, flatter, and less noticeable. These are the twin goals of scar treatment.
University of Miami researchers tried to prove that silicone scar cream is a conduit for static electricity. Silicone attracts static electricity. The electrons may encourage damaged fibers to rearrange into softer, healthier form, resulting in flatter, diminished scars.
In the course of their study, the doctors used silicone ointments. While the results of the static electricity research were inconclusive, the study did document how well silicone scar gel and cream works to reduce and fade scars.
Continuing Science
Several research studies continue to try to nail down the static electricity theory.
There is genetic research into how to "shut down" the genes that "fire up" serious scar formation.
The National Institutes of Health reports at least 50 different studies into various treatments for different kinds of scars.
Silicone continues to be studied in a score of research projects currently assembling test subjects. Doctors aren't giving up on determining how silicone works, because it could be a key to understanding how to stop scars from forming in the first place.
A footnote: The Miami study ruled out onion extract as an effective scar cream ingredient.
