Scars can be painful, both physically and emotionally. Often the emotional impact of scarring can be more difficult to deal with than any type of physical discomfort. A scar follows you throughout your life, serving as a constant reminder of that painful injury, unfortunate accident, or difficult surgery. Scars can affect your self-esteem, causing you to feel less confident in your own body.

The good news is that many effective products and treatments are available that can improve the appearance of your scars. With all the different kinds of scar treatment products on the market, it can be overwhelming trying to discern those products that will be effective and those that will be a waste of time (and money!). But no need to worry, we’ve done the hard work for you. Below you’ll find the best products for scars that have been proven by science to be both safe and effective.

TYPES OF SCARS AND THEIR TREATMENTS

The best products for scars vary based on the different types of scars, which include:

Atrophic scars: An atrophic scar takes the form of a sunken recess in the skin, creating a pitted appearance, like a hole in the skin. These scars are caused by loss of connective tissue underneath the skin or when the skin is injured and does not produce enough collagen during the wound healing process. Acne scars and pockmarks are examples of atrophic scars. Unfortunately, no OTC topical treatments are effective in raising sunken scars. Atrophic scars require dermatologic interventions, such as chemical peeling, dermabrasion, laser treatments, radiofrequency, or punch excisions.

Raised, discolored scars: In contrast to atrophic scars, a scar can become raised and dark in color if the body produces too much collagen during the wound healing process. These scars can be classified as either hypertrophic or keloid. Hypertrophic scars are raised and red, but stay within the boundaries of the original wound. On the other hand, if the scar grows past the original scar boundary, it is classified as a keloid. Keloid scars may turn from red to brown and often have a lumpy appearance. Left untreated, keloid scars can continue to thicken and grow indefinitely. Treatments for hypertrophic scars and keloids include topical silicone gel, silicone gel sheeting, intralesional injections of corticosteroids and/or 5-fluorouracil, cryotherapy, radiotherapy, laser therapy and surgical excision.

Stretched scars: A stretched scar is caused when the skin around the scar is stretched during the healing process. Stretch marks created during pregnancy are an example of this type of scar. The most common method for treating stretched scars is the application of topical agents. While there are many topical products on the market that claim benefits for treating this scar type, many have not been formally evaluated in clinical studies. (J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2016) However, one that has been extensively studied is silicone gel, which has been proven both safe and efficacious for treating various types of scars, including stretched scars.

Flat and pale scars: These scars start as red and raised but naturally fade over time. Silicone gel can speed improvement of these scars.

As you can see, various non-invasive and invasive options are currently available for the prevention and treatment of scars. Since invasive procedures often require significant recovery time and come with the risk of further scarring from the procedure itself, many patients choose topical, non-invasive products for their scar treatment needs.

These reasons, along with numerous clinical evaluations demonstrating positive results, are why silicone gel products are considered to be the best topical products for scars. In fact, an international multidisciplinary group of 24 experts on scar management (dermatologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, rehabilitation and burns specialists, psychosocial and behavioural researchers, epidemiologists, beauticians) consider silicone-based products to be “the gold standard, first-line, non-invasive option for both the prevention and treatment of scars.” (Eur J Dermatol. 2014)

WHY SILICONE GEL?

Silicone has been used for more than 30 years in the treatment of scars. Since then, numerous clinical studies have shown that silicone gel and sheeting are considered the first-line therapy to manage and minimize scarring. Their proven efficacy and convenient use make silicone gel treatments the best products for scars, which is why NewGel+ uses silicone gel as the main active ingredient in all products. In fact, NewGel+ offers the widest variety of silicone scar treatment products available, all of which have been proven to reduce, flatten, smooth, and fade both new and old scars. 

Browse the NewGel+ collection of scar treatment products now and take your pick from silicone gel strips, sheets and shapes, or two tube sizes of topical silicone gel - whatever your scar needs, NewGel+ will have the perfect match!

July 27, 2017