Quantum Derma Herbal Scar Reducing Cream

If there is an all-natural, herbal scar reducing cream that may actually work I guess it must be Quantum Derma’s cream. Reason? Because it does contain some promising ingredients. This cream is said to reduce the appearance of both new and old scars and contains a wide range of natural, healing ingredients.

Let’s review this product by examining its components.

Quantum Derma Scar Reducing Cream contains various herbal ingredients. Some are commonly thought to improve scars but are not backed by science (onion extract). A few of them are interesting and promising though.

Ingredients:

• Onion Extract,
• Lysine,
• Vitamin E,
• Tamanu Oil,
• Allantoin

Tamanu oil (Calophyllum inophyllum) for example. This aromatic oil is also referred to as “green gold” or “sacred oil of Tamanu”. It is said to be able to penetrate all skin layers.

Tamanu oil heals damaged skin, alleviates various medical conditions, and is known for its skin smoothing and softening properties. Revered by ancient Polynesians, the oil was historically used for its medicinal and wound healing properties. More on wisegeek.com .

Lysine is an amino acid that plays a role in building healthy tissue.

Allantoin has a positive effect on the skin’s moisture levels. Also has a keratolytic (deflaking) effect and stimulates the production of new epidermis cells, stimulates skin regeneration, rendering it smoother and softer. Clinical studies indicate it helped prevent and reduce scarring during tattoo removals.

Vitamin A (Retinyl palmitate is the safest form of the various types of vitamin A with the best tolerance, fewest side effects, and no prescription needed More on the role of vitamin A in scar treatment.

Bee propolis extract is reported to help scars heal. Especially acne sufferers seem to benefit from this substance according to some testimonials. Indirectly related to this subject is this post about scar treatment with bee venom .

Additional ingredients include:
Olive Oil, Beeswax, Aloe Vera Gel, Purified Water, Tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), Chamomile extract, Sweet Almond Oil, Gum Benzoin extract, Calendula extract, Bee Propolis extract, Golden Seal Root extract, Onion extract, Echinacea extract, Bisabalol (a chamomile extract), Cajeput Oil, Tea Tree oil, Vitamin E, Retinyl palmitate (vitamin A) , Vitamins A & D

A few of the ingredients of this cream appear to be promising because of their separate properties. They may provide a synergistic effect but studies should be done to proof this. When it comes to an all-natural scar cream I personally would like to see a scar cream containing Centella asiatica and liquorice. This because these substances appear to have some scar improving evidence behind them.

According to one reviewer on Amazon “this product works but has funny smell maybe because it is natural product and it is pricey for small tube.”

The manufacturer states that Quantum Derma Scar Reducing Cream:

• Significantly improves the appearance and reduces visibility of existing scars resulting from surgery, burns, injury and acne,
• helps prevent the formation of scars on newly healed wounds,
• makes scar tissue, calluses, and other skin hardenings softer and smoother,
• is also advertised to be effective on stretch marks.

Suggested Use: Massage into scar 3 5 times daily to smooth, soften and diminish appearance of scars.

Quantum Scar Reducing Cream is available on Amazon.

ScarGuard MD ScarCare is a silicone* based cream that dries to a thin film after application. Scarguard Labs (the manufacturer) states that:

“many doctors use ScarGuard MD for old, raised scars, keloids, and to help prevent scar tissue from forming after surgery or injury.”

* (Silicone scar creams are used to flatten, soften, tone down the color, and smoothen thick scars. They are also known to reduce scar pain and itch. )

So does ScarGuard really work? Here’s a short review with the pros and cons of ScarGuard MD.

Scarguard MD differs from other silicone scar creams in that it combines several ingredients. Or, as the manufacturer advertises: “a patented formulation that combines multiple technologies.” Also referred to as “SG5 technology which combines five medically-proven treatments into one easy-to-use solution”. These treatments are:

1)Silicone. Topical silicone is clinically proven to help shrink scar tissue and help prevent new scar formation after surgery.
2)Cortisone. A low dose of hydrocortisone helps reduce irritation.
3)Vitamin E. Helps the healing process by softening and moisturizing the scar and surrounding tissue.
4)Pressure. Slight increase in surface tension is provided.
5)Occlusion. The medical term for adhering to, and protecting, the scar.

A critical note on these five proclaimed medically proven treatments:

Occlusion, especially by silicones, does seem to be effective in scar treatment. However the amount of pressure a silicone sheet, let alone a silicone cream administers is negligible. Vitamin E used as a standalone topical treatment is discouraged by dermatologists because it may cause skin irritation and worsen scar appearance. The benefits of vitamin E as a scar cream component are disputed.

Let’s take a look at the other Scarguard Scar Care ingredients.

Active ingredients: Silicone 12.75%, Hydrocortisone 0.55%, Inactive ingredients: Vitamin E, Specially-formulated flexible collodion.

Collodion is a flexible substance which dries to form a flexible cellulose film when applied on the skin.

Hydrocortisone (or cortisol) is a is a steroid hormone naturally occurring in the human body. It’s function here is to reduce itch. Hydrocortisone is also used in anti itch creams. As most over-the-counter anti itch creams ScarGuard MD also contains less than 1% of this component.

I don’t grasp the reason of the addition of collodion (instead of using silicones).

I’m also wondering why hydrocortisone was added to the formula since silicones have proven to reduce itch themselves. This seems redundant to me. It may be that the limited amount of people who experience skin irritation during the use of silicone creams benefit from using a product that contains hydrocortisone.



I haven’t used this product myself so I can’t speak from experience. So let’s take a look at ScarGuard MD reviews. An analysis of various reviews from different sources yielded the following:

ScarGuard MD Pros

• almost invisible
• dries fast
• easy to apply
• possible to apply makeup on top of the film
• cheaper than the popular Kelo-cote Advanced Formula Scar Gel and ScarAway Silicone Gel Serum

ScarGuard MD Cons

• doesn’t last, may flake, peels off
• looks like paper on your skin very thin, white, translucent paper film
• bad scent, smells like acetone or nail polish remover (smell fades quickly)
• doesn’t seem to work on old scars

My Conclusion:
Since there’s far less silicones in ScarGuard than in some other silicone creams I would personally choose a brand that does contain silicones only. (e.g. ScarAway or Kelo-cote )

However, because of the addition of hydrocortisone ScarGuard might be ideal for people with a very sensitive skin who are prone to sweat rash or other skin irritations.

Alternatives
From the various silicone scar cream brands such as Dermatix, ScarZone, Derma E, ScarFade, Rejuvasil, ScarAway, and Kelo-cote I would choose one of the two latter.

I would order one of these because they contain more (only) silicones. For the best results I would certainly recommend to use them in combination with the clinically proven more effective silicone sheeting. Studies demonstrate that the occlusion is a major component in the effectiveness of these silicone products. The fact that the creams are much easier to apply and wear makes them ideal for particular situations and body locations.

More clinical ScarGuard info in this study report: Efficacy of Scarguard in the Prevention of Scars

Conclusion of this study: “Both patients and investigator noted improved aesthetic effects with Scarguard on the appearance of scars following a minor surgical procedure. [..] study observations were determined in a small group of patients in a nonblinded fashion, further investigation is warranted to confirm these results.”

Has anyone tried Rejuvasil? It’s a silicone scar cream that also contains emu oil, vitamin C and squalene. According to the manufacturer it:

” has more effective ingredients than any other liquid silicone products and has been clinically proven to reduce keloids, hypertrophic scars, surgical scars, and burns. [...] is made with emu oil and squalene (shark oil) to make this treatment even more effective.”

I would love to hear your experiences because there are little to no reviews of this product. The reason I think it might be an effective scar treatment cream is because it also contains vitamin C.



Next to the, proven effective silicones (dimethicone), vitamin C is backed by several studies as an effective scar cream component. It is mainly considered a wound healing agent but topical use seems to have some benefits regarding scar treatment.



Some of these benefits include:

• promoting healthy scar tissue regrowth (collagen synthesis),
• protection from harmful sunlight radiation (ultraviolet A and B),
• lightening of dark colored scars (hyperpigmentation),
• and improvement of skin irritation, inflammation, itch, redness (inflammatory dermatoses).
• It’s also thought to have excellent hydrating properties.

Source: Wiley Interscience.



The problem with the addition of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) to skin care products is that it is highly unstable. This means that it reacts when exposed to e.g. air. Cosmetic manufacturers found a solution by using a more stable vitamin C variant called tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. RejuvaSil contains this stable form of vitamin C.



I’m not aware of emu oil having any scar treatment benefits. Nevertheless the addition of this natural oil to Rejuvasil scar cream might still be useful because it is considered to be one of the few oils able to penetrate the skin. This trait would allow active ingredients to be carried with it into the deeper layers of the skin.

The only review I could find online is this one: (Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 )

“So far, the best scar gel for the price. I don’t see much of a difference between this one and another best seller scar gel that I have tried from the Derm Store, except this one is about $20 less. This was my second purchase and I plan on purchasing again.”

Rejuvasil scar cream can be purchased online at Amazon (cheaper) and MakeMeHeal. (two for one)

After application silicone creams provide a thin film covering the scar. The area should be clean and dry before the self-drying cream is applied. Daily use is recommended for optimal results. Major advantage of silicone ointments over patches is that it can easily be used on the face and other parts of the body that are hard to keep covered with patches.



“The application of silicone gel improves the redness, itching, texture and thickness of hypertrophic and keloid scars in 60% to 100% of cases “ (Poston, 2000)



Ingredients: Silicone (dimethicone), Emu Oil, Squalene (Shark Oil), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C)



Did you use RejuvaSil? Please let others know what you think. You can share your experiences below.

Scar Esthetique Reduction Cream Review

Scar Esthetique Reduction Cream is often bought in combination with silicone sheets. This scar reduction cream is marketed with the pay off:

“Containing more ingredients that promote scar healing and scar reduction than any other scar cream on the market”.

Which in fact is true. It contains an impressive amount of ‘active’ ingredients. (w/Silicone, Arnica, Antioxidants, Copper Peptides, Co-Q10)

Scar Esthetique Reduction Cream

Some of them are frequently occurring scar cream components which have no scientific scar treatment value. Onion extract is one of those. Or at least it is disputed. One animal study showed improvement while two other studies didn’t show benefits. Vitamin E is also a popular skin care product component but whether or not it is useful in scar treatment hasn’t been scientifically proven. It is often added because of its skin soothing properties. Some other ingredients of Scar Esthetique however seem more promising. Vitamin C for example.

Several studies have shown vitamin C to be an effective scar treatment constituent. Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) has shown to hydrate scar tissue, reduce scar discolorization and redness, and regulate excessive collagen formation. Major downside of vitamin C and products containing it is that it is very unstable. This means that if it is exposed to the air (oxygen) it will loose its action. (A more stable form of vitamin C is Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate) I am not sure whether or not Scar Esthetique Reduction Cream contains a stable form of vitamin C.

Arnica montana, also referred to as Leopards bane or Mountain Tobacco, is known to promote wound healing. Historically used to reduce bruising, swelling, and  inflammation. Although advertised frequently as an effective scar treatment component its scientific efficacy has to be proven yet.  Study reports from the ‘Archives of Facial and Plastic Surgery’ show that when arnica is taken orally before surgery it reduces inflammation and bruising. Arnica stimulates white blood cell activity which might be beneficial in scar tissue reduction.

Copper peptides is another supposed scar reducing ingredient. Proteins called peptides boost the body’s reserve of an enzyme which regulates the way cells age and deal with stress.  In a previous post on copper peptides I concluded that copper peptides will probably help a little bit because copper is a part of healthy collagen placement but they have to be used in combination with peels and results will only be seen over (a relatively long) time.

Silicones (dimethicone) are proven effective scar reducing agents. Silicone sheets or ointments reduce scar elevation, redness, itch, and pain. I know of some other creams containing silicones that they stay on the surface of the skin and seal it to enable the rest of the ingredients to work. Whether this is the case in this particular cream I don’t know.

Vitamin A is an important skin care vitamin. “Today it is well recognized that the rejuvenation of skin can be achieved by applying vitamin A to the skin.” Studies show that vitamin A has some scar fading properties. There are many types and derivates of vitamin A. Retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, and beta-carotene are a few of them. Retinyl palmitate, present in the Scar Esthetique cream accounts for about 80% of the vitamin A found in the skin. For more in-dept info on the role of vitamin A in scar treatment visit this post on the benefits of vitamin A in scar treatment.

According to the manufacturer:

“Scar Esthetique Scar Cream penetrates deep into the skin’s epidermal layers to treat scar tissue damage from the inside. It stimulates new cellular growth to reduce scarring and is the only scar cream available that can remove scars. Scar Esthetique Scar Creme is clinically proven to improve the appearance of scars, including hypertrophic and keloid scars, that result from surgery, trauma, burns, laser resurfacing and acne. It is also highly effective in reducing stretch marks and lightening brown aging spots.”

It is also said that it works like a silicone sheet at a cellular level. Whether or not this is completely true remains to be seen. No real evidence proving these statements is available. On the other hand, there’s no real proof this cream doesn’t work at all.

My conclusion for now: I think that, among the possibly, not yet proven, effective scar reduction creams Scar Esthetique might be a very promising contender. No studies to this exact mix of ingredients have been done but the components used in this cream are at least promising.

Apart from this the customer reviews of this product are pretty positive. To see for yourself click the link below. It is rated 4 out of 5 stars. I’m convinced these reviews are unbiased and real because there are other products on their website that have far less positive ratings.

Read More Reviews of Scar Esthetique Reduction Cream