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Do Silicone Scar Sheets Work?

Silicone scar sheets are far from being a new idea for the treatment of scars. The medical profession has been using them for many years in order to reduce the appearance of keloid scars and raised scars known as hypertrophic scars. They have also been used to prevent the formation of new scars following surgery.

However, the availability to the general public for silicone scar sheets is a more recent development.

What are Silicone Scar Sheets?

Silicone scar sheets are coated on one side with silicone gel. They come in a variety of sizes, some of which can then be cut down to the size of the scar being treated.

Many of the products available are self adhesive while others have to be fixed with tape. Silicone scar sheets are reusable and can be washed.

Some manufacturers claim that their products can be used on scars 20 years old.

How Do Silicone Scar Sheets Work?

Exactly how the scar sheets work isn’t fully understood. Theories include the creation of an environment for healing through moisture, decreasing the levels of the body’s production of inflammatory substances and working on the body’s collagen structure and production.

Do Silicone Scar Sheets Work?

Silicone scar sheets have the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency. In order for a product to gain this approval it not only has to prove it is safe for human use but that it it effective in some way and not just a scam product.

Silicone scar sheets have a history of clinical study reaching back over more than 20 years and, as previously mentioned, have been used in hospitals and surgeries for many years.

There is no doubt that when silicone scar sheets work, they work well. Raised scars can be improved in appearance in 85% of cases.

Improvement seems to take anywhere between four to eight weeks in the best cases but can take up to three months and more.

Pros and Cons of Silicone Scar Sheets

Scar sheets have to be worn 24 hours a day for the best results and one of the main complaints leveled at the products is that they are difficult to keep stuck to the skin.

The results in many cases are far from instant and some scars seem to be completely resistant to this type of treatment.

Silicone scar sheets are completely safe to use and there are no complicated processes involved. Products vary greatly in price with some seeming to be more effective than others.

Silicone scar sheets will not completely remove old scars but they have proved to be highly effective in reducing their appearance.

It is always easier to treat new scars than older ones and it is recommended that silicone scar sheets be used in the initial healing stages of wounds but only once the open wound has sealed. Silicone scar sheets can’t be used on open wounds.

As some of the other options for scar removal involve painful surgery and costly procedures, silicone scar sheets do offer a cheaper and clinically tested option.

Article by expert author ‘Deneice Arthurton‘.