Which Type of Scar Removal Product Works Best For Keloids?

There is a tremendous amount of research proving silicone works best as a scar treatment for keloids. Most research is done on keloid scars because they are so disfiguring. Another reason is that doctors don't know what causes them. They hope studying scar treatments will solve the mystery.

There have been at least two significant studies of silicone for scar therapy on keloids. Both proved silicone works.

Here are the results of a South Florida medical investigation. Keloid patients used silicone for only four months.

o Size decreased in 53%.
o Tissue softened in 45%.
o Itching stopped for 45%.
o Tenderness was reduced in 36%.

A second significant study involved darker skin. African-Americans and Hispanics are sixteen-times more likely to form keloids than Caucasians. Indian and Pakistani natives are also vulnerable. Again, no one knows why.

In the second study, in India, silicone was kept on serious scarring for 12 hours a day.

1. Doctors saw improvement in half of cases.
2. Improvement began within 12 weeks.
3. The researchers say immediate therapy as soon as a wound closes will help prevent keloids.
4. Of all non-invasive treatments, the doctors report silicones seem to be the only compound with no significant side effects.

Other findings: scar treatment must be applied at least twice a day. It should be used for multiple months or more to get maximum results.

Scar treatment creams are the only option for many people.

Many doctors will not even try surgery or dermabrasion on keloids. These treatments will just heal into another. It is often a bigger and uglier mark.

People prone to thick, red keloid scars are advised to avoid any elective surgery or body piercing. The outcome is a new keloid.

Keloids result when the body over-corrects after trauma or surgical incision. Keloids are heaps of spreading scar tissue.

Scar treatments work. Here are five reasons:

1. During therapy, silicone promotes healing. It helps scarred cells draw and hold moisture from surrounding healthy tissue. Moisture is essential to healing.

2. You get immediate soothing. Scars can be painful or itchy. Redness subsides when you stop rubbing or scratching. Silicone also protects the sensitive scar tissue from wind, rain and any other outside irritants.

3. It goes to work at the cellular level, encouraging healing. This results in a flatter scar which fades into surrounding skin.

4. It may "convince" damaged fibers to realign. Silicone attracts static electricity, which may encourage cells to re-form as softer, more normal tissue.

5. In fact, some doctors in Great Britain prefer to use silicone scar treatment products alongside laser medical scar removal and cortisone shots.

People with extreme scarring appreciate home scar removal creams. They can be frustrated by products that deliver the silicone on a sheet attached with tape. It might seem more protective. But they come off when skin moves. A coating of cream or gel also offers protection and is flexible. It doesn't come off.

Wearing silicone sheets for months at a time calls attention to removal therapy. Some people suffer embarrassment about their keloids. A gel is more discreet.

source: ezinearticles.com