People are constantly looking for the next great treatment option to minimize the appearance of scars. One of the latest popular treatment methods is emu oil, an old remedy used to treat a myriad of skin ailments by the indigenous population in Australia. Because it is a natural remedy, many people have tried to use it to help fade their scarring, with mixed results.
What is Emu Oil?
Emu oil is oil that comes from the fat in the back of the emu, an Australian bird related to the ostrich. The Aboriginal population and others have used it to cure a variety of skin ailments, including adding moisture, killing bacteria, treating rashes, helping reduce pain, and reducing inflammation. Many studies have found that it can help treat some skin ailments, and can even help reduce joint and muscle pain when applied topically. It also is rich in the omega fatty acids that have been shown to be essential for healthy looking skin. One of the reasons it seems to work so well on the skin is that it has the ability to penetrate the skin, reaching the deeper layers of the skin for treatment.
The Benefits of Emu Oil
Emu oil has a variety of benefits to the skin, including treating dry skin, eczema, rashes, cuts, burns, and other problems on the skin. It can also be a beneficial first aid treatment to reduce the risk of infection while promoting healing. Not only is it all-natural, but it is also hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, non-comedogenic, and does not irritate, making it easy to use anywhere on the body, including sensitive areas. Because of these benefits, many people have started calling it a cure-all for all skin conditions, including scarring.
Does it Help Scarring?
Although emu oil can be beneficial for your skin in treating inflammation and keeping the scar moisturized, it does not fade scars. It works as an anti-inflammatory agent, which can help expedite the skin’s natural healing process. When the skin is first damaged, it will become inflamed as part of the natural immune response. This can cause the skin to appear red or discolored. Emu oil can help reduce the coloring of scars during this stage of healing only because it acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to combat the redness. However, this does not work to get rid of the scar tissue or lighten the skin color to fade the scar. If you are looking for an all-natural ingredient that will actually fade scars, then you should look for something with licorice root extract.
Emu oil is all-natural oil with relatively low risks of irritation or other problems that provides some healing benefits to your skin. However, it is not the best option for treating scars. The best scar treatment cream will have ingredients that work together to help the skin heal while fading the scar, including lightening the pigment, producing healthy skin cells, increasing collagen production, and reducing any inflammation in the wound. Ingredients such as licorice root extract, silicone, and vitamin C have these properties and in tandem work to significantly reduce the appearance of your scar tissue.
Do you have a question about your scar? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to answer.
Subscribe to Scars and Spots to get our posts delivered directly to your inbox!
The information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please speak to your doctor to treat any medical condition. Information on this site is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
