Treatment for surgical scars
Immediately after surgery for 1 to 3 weeks
Immediately after surgery, the wound is usually treated with antibiotics and petroleum jelly to provide an ideal environment for the wound healing process. Moisture protective dressings such as Silicone gel sheeting can also be used to accelerate epithelialization and decrease collagen deposition.[1]
After wound closure (about a week after surgery)
After the wound has closed, your doctor may recommend treatment with a topical scar treatment. As Mederma® is the #1 brand of scar treatments among pediatricians, doctors, pharmacists, dermatologists and plastic surgeons according to a 2020 survey*, this could be the treatment your doctor recommends. If your doctor does not recommend a treatment, this is a good option for you too as it is an over-the-counter treatment and comes with a money back guarantee.
The main objective of topical treatments is to keep the freshly healed skin moist.[3,4]Therefore, topical scar treatments contain heavy moisturizing ingredients.
All Mederma® scar treatments contain the proprietary ingredient Cepalin® (onion extract). Mederma®’s triple action formulas penetrate beneath the skin where they stimulate collagen production support cell renewal, and lock in moisture. They have been clinically shown to improve the look and feel of scars.[5] All Mederma® scar treatments for adults contain hyaluronic acid or hydrolyzed collagen, and lecithin and/or glycerin. In addition to its water retention ability, hyaluronic acid has anti-oxidative properties and stimulates collagen production.[6,7]
The emollient dimethicone in Mederma® PM Intensive Overnight Scar Cream additionally locks in moisture for the night by forming an oily layer on the skin and helps reduce collagen overgrowth to minimize scarring.[8,9] Its unique triple action formula combines Tripeptol™, a skin-nourishing complex with peptides, collagen, and antioxidants to optimally support the night time regeneration of the skin to promote healthy looking skin. Mederma® Advanced Scar Gel contains allantoin, a skin softening agent which helps break down inflamed scar tissue to encourage healthy cell growth.[10]
Mederma® for Kids™ cream is specifically formulated to contain as few ingredients as possible – just as you would want it for your kids’ sensitive skin. Its unique triple action formula for any scar form cuts and scrapes, stitches, burns, insect bites, and surgery includes allantoin and Cepalin® (onion extract). To make applying the cream more enjoyable, especially for smaller kids, these are combined with a fun surprise – a cool scent and a color that changes when you rub it in.
When returning to daily activities (about 2 to 3 weeks after surgery)
After the initial scar formation period, where a moist environment is most important for treatment, the incisional pain usually subsides, and patients return to normal activities. This means that the scar now needs extra protection against environmental factors, especially sunlight. The fresh skin on scars is particularly sensitive to the sun, and it is highly recommended that you protect scars from the sun for around 18 months [4,11,12] Antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, protect the skin from photo damage,[13,14] and a sunscreen protects the scar from sunlight.[3,4] For scars exposed to the sun, there is Mederma® Scar Cream plus SPF 30, which, in addition to the triple action formula, contains an SPF 30 sunblock to provide extra protection against the sun.
So, whatever post-surgery scar care needs you may have, there is an over-the-counter Mederma® product for you, carefully formulated to target your specific needs, recommended by pediatricians, doctors, pharmacists, dermatologists and plastic surgeons*, and rated among the top 10 in 2020 reviews for scar creams.[15–17]