Some users may experience burning, irritation, itchiness, and redness after application. What is the best time to use scar cream? Emollients such as shea butter, coconut oil and candelilla wax dramatically soften the skin and help to restore its elasticity, and also help to protect it by creating a smooth barrier to seal in moisture. As a bonus, natural emollients like these are vegan and cruelty-free alternatives to lanolin, which is derived from sheep’s wool. Oryan A, et al. (2016). Topical application of aloe vera accelerated wound healing, modeling, and remodeling: An experimental study.

The susceptibility of skin to form certain types of scars, such as keloids, may have a genetic link. Your age may also affect the severity of your scars. Some scars do well with scar creams Lin Y-S, et al. (2018). Does the form of dressings matter? A comparison of the efficacy in the management of postoperative scars between silicone sheets and silicone gel: A randomized controlled trial. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Already after one treatment, the scars on our feet caused by surgery were flattened and barely noticeable. With a closer look, you can still see some discoloration and unevenness in the skin, but much less than before.

Fade, shrink and prevent scars from surgery, injuries and acne with our recommended best scar creams that actually work

Silicone gel is a medical-grade scar treatment that you can buy over-the-counter (OTC) at pharmacies or online without a prescription. It can be extremely effective in shrinking raised scars, including large keloid and hypertrophic scars; evening out deep scars, such as acne pits; and reducing pigmentation. EGCG is an antioxidant found in green tea. Since it is water soluble, it can’t adhere to skin or scar tissue on its own.

What We Don’t Love: It takes a while to dry, and if you don’t let it fully absorb it will transfer onto bed sheets.Scar creams will have directions to follow that will also state the length of recommended use, which can range from a few weeks to several months. What’s the best way to heal a scar? We had tried other creams in the past, none of which did any good on this old scar. However, the Boysea option proved to work even on this half-decade-old marking we were ready to live with for the rest of our lives. Needless to say, we are very pleased with the results. It’s best to talk with a doctor about the best way to heal your scar. This is because there are so many factors at play, including the type of scar, whether it’s new or old, and your age.

As an ingredient in topical treatments, it has been found to reduce inflammation and to be beneficial at various stages of wound healing, including tissue remodeling. Tissue remodeling refers to the cleanup of inflammatory cells that occurs as a wound is healing and scar tissue forms. Allantoin softens keratin, the fibrous protein that gives your skin its waterproofing, toughness and elasticity. It’s not usually vegan, because it’s derived from the urine of mammals, but some products do use lab-made equivalents. Allantoin is the main active ingredient in Mederma Advanced Gel, one of the best-known treatments for reducing the appearance of scars. Flat scars and areas of discolouration from a superficial wound (such as a cut or a nasty spot) are usually temporary. Raised scars such as keloids and hypertrophic scars result from an overly aggressive healing process, and they’re often permanent. Larger ones can be removed by surgery or steroid injections, but smaller keloids and hypertrophic scars can be treated at home using products containing scar-shrinking ingredients such as silicone and allantoin. What active ingredients should I look for in the best scar creams? We loved that once on, we could barely notice its existence. It wasn’t hindering our daily activities. Plus, not needing to apply a gel every few hours made the whole process stress-free. Having the piece on at all times made us feel like it was constantly doing its job, and removing the strip to see a lightened scar felt very rewarding. Park G, et al. (2008). Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses collagen production and proliferation in keloid fibroblasts via inhibition of the STAT3-signaling pathway.Typically, scar treatments contain “ingredients like silicone, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid, which help to hydrate the skin, promote collagen production, and reduce inflammation,” says Dr. Shokeen. However, if you are looking for specific treatments, like treating keloids, you want to look for ingredients that help reduce not just coloring, but texture as well. The Cimeosil Scar and Laser Gel, which contains polysiloxanes, or silicone, helps to flatten and soften even old scars. If you just have a little discoloration left over on your scar, but no real texture change, then this will clear that right up for you. We used half a pea-sized droplet on a long thin scar and saw a huge difference in color after our testing period — it practically faded to being barely visible.