Surgery activates more keloids. Silicone removal creams can’t.

• Cream does not break the skin. It does not awaken the tendency to form keloids. A silicone keloid scar removal cream encourages fibers to loosen. A keloid is a thick bunch of scar fiber.
• Cutting releases more thick tissue in the same place. There is a high rate of keloid recurrence – up to 50% – according to the medical review board of About.com. Doctors can’t predict which time surgery will work, or if it will boomerang.

Scalpel or laser?

• It doesn’t make any difference. A knife and a beam cut skin. The wound awakens the tendency to form severe scars.

When you heal abnormally once, chances are it will happen again somewhere else on your body. Silicone is the earliest possible home treatment when surgery is too risky.

Medical grade, 100% silicone is available in scar removal cream sold over the counter. The FDA has approved it. People prone to abnormal healing should start using it as soon as a break in the skin closes. In fact, some doctors prescribe it after surgery.

• Infection brings healing to a standstill.
• The longer a wound or incision takes to heal, the more scar tissue builds up.
• The body is just trying to hold the wound together when it grows scar tissue.
• It’s going to try harder when infection stops healing.

The Italian research documents the need for what they call “a mechanical barrier against bacteria.” What they mean by “mechanical” is something you apply.

A home scar treatment using 100% silicone creates this kind of protective barrier. It  guards against infection,  blocks air, dust and other irritants.

More from the doctors in Italy: “As shown by the most up-to-date research, it is now possible to accomplish the pharmacological and non-surgical therapy of…scars by means of … chemical agents.”

Medical-grade silicone is a pharmacological and non-surgical therapy.

Why avoid surgery? When they cut they have to do a lot more to prevent scarring. The most difficult thing to do affect blood flow to the scar tissue to slow its growth.

-Article Source: Cattedra di Chirurgia Plastica Parma, Italy.

Three certainties.

• Once a scar forms it cannot be erased.
• It can be improved with a scar reducer, but a trace will always remain.
• Surgery to treat a plastic surgery scar will leave a new one.

Plastic Surgery Scar Characteristics Vary.

1. Liposuction “holes” depend on the size of the instrument. Fat is especially prone to scarring.
2. A full tummy-tuck incision runs from hip to hip, low enough for underwear to cover but noticeable in swimwear and intimate situations.
3. Nose jobs leave a fine-line. Facelift wounds are positioned to blend in. Eyelid skin is so thin keloids may appear.
4. Breast enlargement or reduction scars respond especially well to silicone therapy, available in scar reducer home treatments.

An irony of cosmetic surgery is that afterward, doctors often prescribe scar removal called “revision”; that is, more plastic surgery to treat color and size.

• These products can be used to treat scarssc that are caused from surgical incisions or other injuries or wounds.
• If you are under the care of a plastic surgeon and your scarring is the result of cosmetic surgery, ask your surgeon for his or her recommendation
• (Prescription) treatments can include corticosteroids or certain antihistamine creams for scars that cause itching and are extremely sensitive.
• Reviewed by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Plastic Surgery

Doctors acknowledge over-the-counter treatment is often sufficient.

• Scar (ointment) may help reduce the appearance of some scars.
• Results vary — and no scar can be completely erased.
• If you’re concerned about the appearance of a scar, ask your doctor about other treatment options.
• Possibilities may include…silicone-based products, laser treatment, or collagen or steroid injections.

Source:  mayoclinic.com

Silicone-based scar products are frequently used as parallel therapy with laser treatment, collagen or steroid injections, and dermabrasion.

The results can help identify scar home treatment that can be effective.

A South Florida Medical Research Center studied topical scar compounds. The doctors evaluated silicone and vitamin E.

Vitamin E

1. This natural substance is marketed in scar removal products.
2. Pure vitamin E applied directly to scars is considered natural therapy.

The doctors reported “no significant” reduction in color or size of scars from Vitamin E applications.

Onion extract

A major Texas medical school put it to the test.

• They wanted to know if it reduced redness and itching.
• They also checked for change in the size of scars.
• People with surgical scars were evaluated.
• Only half were given an onion extract scar ointment.

The study found onion extract to be ineffective.

He ended up discovering scars help. The silicone acted as an improved scar reducer. Scar size decreased more rapidly than with pressure treatments without silicone.

Silicone:  How and What

In spite of major studies, doctors don’t know how it works.

A preeminent theory involves static electricity. A silicone scar ointment attracts static electricity. The electrons may break up thick fibers, flattening scars.

With major studies, doctors know what it does.

One proven benefit involves silicone’s ability to help cells retain moisture. Moisture always facilitates healing, which reduces scar size and color.

Silicone in topical or dressing form protects a scar from irritation and infection. Infection halts healing, which increases scarring.

Scar help in practice

• Silicone cream is now commonly used after plastic surgery. Doctors in the UK routinely employ silicone scar help alongside various surgical treatments.
• It is frequently used in the US for continued scar help after laser scar removal.

• Silicone in gel or cream form replaces self-adhesive silicone sheets that won’t stay on joints and flexible body parts.
• Massage deepens delivery of silicone, and can break up tough scar fiber.

Silicone was kept on serious scarring for 12 hours a day.

1. Doctors documented moderate improvement in 50% of cases.
2. Improvement appeared within a span of 3 to 6 months.
3. The study recommends this scar treatment can also be used as a preventive method immediate after a surgical wound has healed.
4. Of all non-invasive treatments, the doctors report silicones seem to be generally the only ones that are able to manage scarring without significant side-effects.

Source: Dermatotherapy and Cosmetology Center, Pune, India

The study occurred in India

South Asian skin is brown to dark brown. Brown and African skin tones are most prone to serious scarring. Doctors hoped to find the best scar removal that was effective, inexpensive and non-surgical.

• This particular study focused on keloid scars, which are disfiguring tissue growths, because ethnicity is a key factor in formation of keloids.

The study also found pressure combined with silicone impacted keloid size.

1. Silicone, which research proved effective.
2. Vitamin E. Researchers can’t agree.
3. Onion Extract.

Researchers at a major Texas medical school put onion extract to the test.

They wanted to know if it impacted scar symptoms such as redness and itching. They also checked for any change in the size of the surgical scars.

• 17 people with surgical scars were evaluated.
• They were given a topical gel on the day their stitches were removed.
• They were instructed to use the gel three times a day for a month.
• Only half of the ointments contained onion extract.

The results

1. The doctors found no evidence the onion extract gel shrinks scars.
2. They found that the test patients who were given petroleum jelly got more relief from redness than those using onion extract.
3. Petroleum jelly also relieved itching better than onion extract.

Scar Wars: Learning just a little about what causes scarring leads to improved scar treatment.

At Stanford University, a group dubbed the “scar wars team” moved a step forward in understanding scar formation.

• They demonstrated that pulling, pushing or stretching wounded skin increases scarring.
• The doctors believe that if they control pressure on skin as it heals, they will control scar formation.
• The researchers think engineering a change in physical forces around wounds could eliminate scarring.

Previous research into the “environment” of a wound indicated that applying a silicone scar treatment to a wound within two weeks of treatment encourages faster healing by encouraging moisture retention.

• If your scar causes physical difficulty you may be able to get insurance to pay for scar treatment.
• Insurance companies routinely deny coverage for plastic surgery scars or complications from plastic surgery.

How to Get Insurance Approval

• Ask your doctor to write a letter detailing your particular case, such as if you are a burn victim.
• Ask you doctor to take photos to help prove your case.

The overwhelming lack of insurance coverage for scar treatment makes silicone-based scar products one of the few affordable options.  Silicone has been proven to promote healing and reduce scar size and color.