Scars can be a nuisance, but they can also be a serious cosmetic problem for a lot of individuals. It makes sense, then, that some people would be willing to try anything and everything in order to attempt to fade their scars. Unfortunately, the vast majority of products touted as both at-home remedies and real, medicinal cures, have little to no effect on fading scars at all. At best, you can waste a lot of time and money attempting to fade scars with some of these products. At worst, you could potentially do damage to your skin or make your scars worse by causing dryness, irritation, or other issues. That’s why it’s important to know what actually works – and what doesn’t – when you are looking to fade any scars, no matter what kind they are and where they are located on your body.
You may have heard about using onion extract to get rid of scars, which is available in gel form. However, its ability to heal scars has largely been overstated. Though there is some evidence to suggest that properly formulated onion extract can reduce inflammation, studies are very mixed as to whether it fades scars at all – especially scars that have already largely healed. In addition to that, onion extract has no effect on the size of the scars.
Topical steroids are also often recommended. Steroids can decrease inflammation, but do not improve any other aspect of wound healing. They do not improve the appearance of mature scars at all and excess use can cause sinking of the skin.
Petroleum jelly is a home remedy that has been used for many years in the treatment of scars. However, its only real benefit in treating scars is moisturization. While moisturization is very important to scar healing, moisturizing your scar alone will not decrease its size or fade its dark coloring. A scar treatment containing dimethicone silicone, which is among the best moisturizers for scars, is one that is optimal to use.
And finally, there is the much talked about Vitamin E. This ingredient has been talked about so much as a scar treatment that according to conventional wisdom, it’s absolutely a scar remedy. However, there is no medical evidence to suggest that Vitamin E does nothing more than moisturize the scar. However, it should be noted that studies have shown that Vitamin E has the potential to cause contact dermatitis.
The important thing to keep in mind is that there are scar fading ingredients that really do work, including the aforementioned dimethicone silicone as well as licorice root extract and Vitamin C. Turning to the wrong ingredients can harm your skin, make your scarring worse, and potentially keep you from getting the quick treatment you need to heal and fade your scars before they worsen.
Do you have a question about your scars? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to answer.
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