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Science
Silicone Based Scar Treatments
For the past 30 years, Silicone has been one of the most popular and effective treatments for scar management. Few treatments are as effective at breaking down scar tissue and creating healthy collagen. Silicone has been shown to be effective on a number of scars including keloids, hypertrophic scars, scar contractures, acne scars and stretch marks. Additionally, it is recommended by professionals, like plastic surgeons and dermatologists, as a recovery mechanism recommended for a number of surgical procedures including recovery from plastic surgery, c-sections, tummy tucks, cosmetic surgeries, and laser treatments.
Silicone works for scar healing by aiding the body’s natural healing process by increasing hydration in the skin and decreasing inflammation. Additionally, silicone helps regulate the body’s collagen production which helps ensure that healthy tissue replaces damaged skin. Because of this, silicone scar treatments are effective on all different skin types.
When should you start using silicone on scars?
Silicone is effective on old and new scars. However, in order for silicone treatments to be most effective they should begin within 2 weeks after the wound has fully closed. This is because in most cases scar hypertrophy develops within the first three months, and scar prevention is more effective than scar repair. Silicone can be effective on scars that are a year or older, but they are most effective on scars that are still immature. Immature scars tend to be scars that are less than a year old and are red, thickened and often itchy or painful.
How long should you use silicone scar treatments?
The size and severity of the scarring has a great impact on how long the user needs to use silicone scar treatments. Silicone scar treatments should be used daily. For most scars it usually takes several weeks for results to appear, but for larger scars it can take up to six months or a year. It is recommended that in order to ensure results, the user should continue treatment a month or two after they have achieved desired results.
Are there any side effects to silicone scar treatments?
Early in treatment, silicone can cause irritation if it is worn for too long. As a result, sometimes, when the user first receives silicone treatment they may be advised to wear it for shorter periods of time to avoid irritation. Additionally less than 1% of the population has some form of silicone allergy that can cause redness and irritation.
Silicone Scar Sheets vs. Silicone Gels
There are two main forms of silicone scar treatments: silicone sheets and silicone gel. Silicone sheets are the most common form of silicone treatment. These sheets can sometimes come in the form of silicone strips or silicone tape. These are soft, flexible adhesive dressings built from cross-linked polymers and fabric. They are placed on the affected area and usually extend an inch beyond the edge of the scar. Silicone gel is a usually clear gel that, when applied to the skin, creates a thin, breathable layer of silicone that draws moisture into the skin. Silicone gel has a self drying technology that usually dries itself within 4-5 minutes of application.
The impact of silicone gels on scarring is less studied than that of silicone sheets. As a result, silicone scar sheets and these tend to be recommended more, especially for hypertrophic and keloid scars. However studies comparing silicone gel to silicone sheets both were equally effective at scar reduction. Silicone gel may be preferable for scarring that takes place in an area where sheeting is less effective, like on the face or around joints.
What do silicone scar sheets do?
A silicone gel sheet is a soft, flexible, self-adhesive dressing that is applied over scars. It contains silicone which can help improve the scar and relieve itching and discomfort.
What are silicone scar sheets?
A silicone gel sheet is a soft, flexible, self-adhesive dressing that is applied over scars. It contains silicone which can help improve the scar and relieve itching and discomfort.
How to use silicone scar sheets
Most of the time, silicone sheets should be worn between 12 and 23 hours to achieve best results. However, the silicone sheet is applied to the skin for anywhere from 4 to 24 hours a day. Silicone sheets should usually be used for at least two months and up to a year to see optimal results. These sheets tend to extend one inch beyond the edges of a scar.
How to wash silicone scar sheets
Most gel sheets are meant to be worn for up to a day. If the sheet is designed for reuse, it needs to be cleaned. After the sheet is taken off, they should be thoroughly washed with soap to keep the scar area from getting infected. In order to clean the sheet, wash the sticky side under lukewarm water with plain, non-perfumed soap, then pat it dry with a clean towel or fresh linen. Single use gel sheets should be discarded after use.
Can you shower with silicone scar sheets?
In most instances it is okay to shower with silicone sheets. Most sheets are waterproof and will protect the affected area. If the sticky side of the sheet gets wet and begins to lose its stickiness, simply dry off the sheet with a fresh linen. Once dry it have enough stickiness to apply again.
Do silicone scar sheets protect from the sun?
While some silicone sheets do protect from the sun, most do not have any UV protection. The user should still apply broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to the wound site before applying the silicone treatment.
How to apply silicone tape for scars
Silicone tape can be applied to the scar by placing the sticky side towards the skin. The sheet should extend one inch beyond the border of the scar. If the sheet loses its stickiness, wash gently with mild soap, and cold water before drying. This should allow the sheet to become sticky again.
What does silicone scar gel do?
Silicone gel is a topical silicone which contains long chain silicone polymer, silicone dioxide, and violate component. The long chain silicone polymer and silicone dioxide link together and create an ultra thin sheet that works 24 hours a day to hydrate and protect the scar.
How to use Silicone Gel
Silicone gel should be applied two to three times a day in a thin layer that takes 4-5 minutes to dry. Makeup and sun protection can be applied on top of the gel once the gel has dried.
how to remove silicone scar gel from skin
Silicone gel can be removed from the skin with water and soap. Dry the skin afterwards with a clean garment.
In conclusion, silicone is one of the most popular treatments for all types of scars. The earlier in the scar formation that a silicone treatment is applied, the more effective it is. Both silicone sheets and silicone gels are effective and should be used depending on the situation.
Reference:
Scars: Diagnosis and Treatment | AAD
Silica nanoparticles as sources of silicic acid favoring wound healing in vitro | ScienceDirect
The Use of Silicone Adhesives for Scar Reduction | Advances In Wound Care | NLM
Silicone, or silicon-dioxide (SiO₂), is one of the quickest growing trends in skincare and has long been used as a treatment for scars. But what is it, and how does it work?
Silicone is derived from the combination of silicon and oxygen, two of the most abundant natural elements on earth. When bonded, this compound is responsible for much of the collagen production we receive.
The body's collagen synthesis deteriorates over time. In other words, the ability to self-regulate skin damage is exhausted more and more with each passing year- 2% a year (starting in your 20s) to be precise.
By introducing Silicone into a daily routine one can repair and preserve healthy skin.
In general, silicone benefits skin in two ways: it increases collagen production and decreases inflammation. In skin and wound care, silicone is often used as either silica dioxide or as hydrated silica. Hydrated silica has additional water atoms bound to silicone.
silicone works by strengthening the skin’s structural connective tissue, a prerequisite for rebuilding healthy skin after any severity of damage. Silicone provides two key proteins that make this possible- collagen and elastin. Collagen gives the skin fullness and shape while elastin provides plump, tight skin and improves resilience.
While the skin naturally cycles through dead and damaged cells to promote regeneration with or without added silicone, this process is highly dependent on the collagen the body is able to produce. While this entire process doesn’t happen overnight, depending on the type of damage, new cells can form and begin to take shape in as little as one month of use.
Silicone benefits skin health by increasing hydration in the skin, decreasing inflammation and mimicking the properties of healthy skin. This expedites the body’s natural healing process. Silicone works by strengthening the collagen and protein molecules, called glycosaminoglycans, in the skin that are responsible for the body’s ability to retain moisture. Additionally, silicone increases the production of orthosilicic acid that stimulates collagen and the production of healthy skin.
Introducing silicone based skincare products into a daily skincare routine can provide immense benefits to any user regardless of skin type, age or gender. By improving collagen synthesis, silicone can improve both the physical appearance and texture of tissue following extended, consistent use.
These benefits include:
silicone is a natural anti-inflammatory that is often used to decrease redness, swelling and irritation. While it will not address the underlying causes of chronic conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, it is often an effective treatment option to temporarily relieve many of these same associated symptoms.
silicone contains unique properties that acts as a booster to many topical skincare products you may already own and use. Products such as anti-aging creams, peels, vitamin c treatments, and antioxidants will likely see improved effectiveness when combined with a regimen featuring silicone.
Silicone promotes wound and scar repair in two ways.
First, silicone protects the wound bed from bacterial infection. Often when a wound scabs and fully closes it can trigger a drop in water retention leading to dehydration. Silicone combats this by regulating water loss and pulling in moisture from the wound’s surrounding atmosphere to keep a moisturized, healthy environment.
This is important because dehydration triggers the outer layer of skin (stratum corneum) to produce cytokines, signaling fibroblasts to produce excess amounts of collagen. Excess collagen leads to the formation of many types of scars including raised hypertrophic and keloid scars.
The second way silicone promotes repair is through the stimulation of new, healthy connective tissue growth. After a wound has fully closed, silicone is able to take effect regulating collagen levels while teaching the body how to optimally replace traumatized cells. This allows for the complete decomposition of surplus collagen and restores the balance between fibrogenesis and fibrolysis.
During this time, silicone moderates blood vessels to the scar sight, reducing the dark color and appearance of healing wounds.
In short, silicone allows the skin to breathe, resulting in a softer, flatter scar. Additionally, silicone helps mimic the skin’s natural moisture barrier and trap moisture that the body naturally loses against the skin surface creating conditions for healthy skin.
Over time, silicone is able to vastly reduce the visual appearance and flatten the texture of damaged and scarred skin, replacing it with new, healthy tissue. While most effective when used with new scar tissue, silicone is capable of improving the appearance of scars more than a decade old.
Silicone can be used with almost any type of scar, including:
For more than 30 years, silicone has been studied as a premier treatment in scar repair. While silicone is being increasingly used in skincare products it is most often applied either as a sheet or gel.
Silicone sheeting contains four primary functions: hydrating the skin, protecting wounds against harmful elements, regulating collagen production, and reducing itching.
Silicone Gel is a relatively new treatment for hypertrophic scars and keloid scars. When applied correctly, silicone gel dries to form a thin, invisible layer over the skin which works to repair the wound 24 hours a day.
Recently, silicone supplements have become an increasingly popular approach to promoting skin health from the inside-out. While many argue its efficacy versus a traditional transdermal silicone application, ingested silicone is undeniably beneficial in assisting the transport of oxygen and other important nutrients to the skin.
The safety of silicone has been evaluated by both the FDA and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) expert panel. The FDA has determined that silicone is generally safe. Based on available data the CIR expert panel determined that silicone, and hydrated silica were safe to be used in cosmetic and personal care products. Cosmetic regulations in the European Union agree with these standards.
As always, consult with your dermatologist or doctor before beginning any new skincare regimen, especially if you have sensitive skin or experience any side effects.
References:
Silicone For Scars | St. Georges | NHS
Hydrated Silica | Cosmetics Info
