Scar Cream Treatment Tips
Information on how to get rid of scars through sound skin science

The most accessible scar removal strategy are scar cream products which you could buy off the shelf. You will find lots of these type of treatment for removing scars online and in your neighborhood supermarket. But are they effective?

One thing you need to realize is that there is no product out there that will erase scarring, especially hypertrophic and keloid scars, perfectly. But there are products that might help reduce the appearance of scars and improve its qualities by getting rid of its redness, soften and smoothen it out.

Popular scar removal creams based on vitamin E and onion extracts have been shown not to significantly improve scarring in clinical studies but there may be some merit to them as users often testify on their efficacy. It is up to you if you wish to believe this but the clinical studies are showing otherwise.

Better results are being seen with silicone-based creams (or gels that contain Dimethicone silicone) and silicone sheet scar treatment as they come highly recommended for dealing with hypertrophic scarring.

Furthermore, new research on Transforming Growth Factors (TGF), like TGF Beta 2 and TGF Beta 3, are being eyed as key to controlling the formation of scars.

Other Options in Scar Removal Treatments

Below are alternative keloid and hypertrophic scar treatment that you may undertake in dealing with your scars. Be sure to consult a professional before doing any of them though as there are risks of injuries or complications attached to them.

Needling – a method where the scarred portion of the skin is continuously needle to stimulate collagen production. The most popular application that does this exactly is the Derma Roller which is basically a roller with hundreds of needles which your roll on your skin.

Steroids – are scar treatments that you inject into the scarred area itself. These are known to be effective in hypertrophic and old scars.

Dermabrasion – a method which involves a general anesthetic procedure where the surface of the raised hypertrophic or keloid scar is removed using specialized tools. This treatment is not advisable for pitted or sunken scars.

Collagen injections – this is a method done for pitted or sunken scars where collagen is injected into the recessed scar to raise it to the level of the surrounding skin. Its effects are temporary and has to be re-done if you wish to maintain it.

Laser scar treatment and resurfacing – considered a new method of scar treatment used to flatten out scars and remove redness.

Surgery – a treatment where hypertrophic and keloid scars are excised though it appears to have a high recurrence rate with keloid type scars. This method has some good synergistic potential with laser scar treatment methods and is being studied further.

Let me go straight to the point and state it early that there is still no topical cream product that can be considered a 100% hypertrophic scar treatment. In fact I know of no product (topical or otherwise) that can totally erase hypertrophic scars. An Internet search will reveal the same thing.

Hypertrophic scars are scars that form a raised lump on the skin that looks and feels different from your normal skin. They form when collagen goes into hyper drive trying to regenerate itself in the wounded tissues thereby stifling the return of the normal skin tissues. Their sizes will not go beyond the boundaries of the healed wound and appear reddish in color. This is usually formed from the bigger wounds and wounds that cause deeper damage to the dermis which is the thickest part of the skin. (Know what the other scar types are by reading this scar removal treatment tip).

Hypertrophic scars (or any scar for that matter) will not inherit the original integrity of the normal skin it replaces and will be of weaker material. Sports fighters like boxers know of this first hand with their facial scar tissues caused by previous fights. It is quite easier to re-open wounds because scar tissues are not as tough as normal skin.

Scar Removal Creams for Hypertrophic Scars

Studies on two leading types of scar creams in the market. One is vitamin E based, while the other is based on onion or Allium cepa extracts.

Although vitamin E is scientifically known as a topical application that can penetrate skin and act as an antioxidant that fights free radicals which can interfere in skin healing, studies on vitamin E creams indicate that it is no more effective than placebo in improving the appearance of hypertrophic scars and may even cause irritation and allergies (more than 30% showed such symptoms in the studies). Further studies are needed because the previous studies are being criticized for their experimental design, more specifically for the dosage they used in the experiments which some thing is too low.

Studies on onion extract creams are also showing the same findings with treatment results not showing any significant difference from placebo. However, there were statistically more study participants that indicated that they thought the scars looked better, felt softer and appeared less noticeable. Testimonies from users outside of this study also have indicated the same.

In conclusion, while there many scar cream products out there, caution is advised to anyone thinking that they are the silver bullet to your scarring problems. Most studies performed on the leading types of scar removal cream products out there indicate that they may not be more effective than letting the scar improve by itself through time (which is expected). However, there is merit in using them as some of them are effective in making the scars softer and appear less noticeable.

At any rate, it is reasonable to expect that further experiments are being done in this area and that new hypertrophic scar treatment technologies are being studied even now.