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.

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Neaclear Scar Advantage is a product I hadn’t heard of before (although it has been around for a while). Just yesterday I stumbled upon it when reading articles written by cosmetic and plastic surgeons. One of these health care practitioners recommended this cream for facial scars.

To me this doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good product because even among medical experts such as plastic surgeons and dermatologists ignorance occurs. I always like to dig for scientific reports and other indications products may actually work. Let’s have a closer look at Neaclear. Is it really as innovative and revolutionary as they say?

It is said to promote optimal scar healing with ingredients such as;

• cortisone,
• vitamin E,
• silicones,
• vitamins A & D,
• liquid oxygen,
• and vitamin C.

Let’s take a look at the respective actions of these components:

• topical cortisones reduce irritation (used in anti-itch creams) This study concludes there’s no benefit to the scar’s appearance. As there is none for vitamin E
• silicones are proven effective to decrease collagen formation and increase the scar’s maturation process.
• vitamins A (retinoids) has shown to have both benefits as side effects. No sufficient research data available for firm conclusions
• vitamin C seems to have scar healing benefits but stability is needed. It’s difficult to control whether or not Scar Advantage contains such a stable form of vitamin C.
• liquid oxygen



About the addition of liquid oxygen (whatever that may be) has been some rumor. New Scientist notes that “We have certainly never heard of a skin cream that contains liquid oxygen, the temperature of which is normally somewhere below -183 °C.” There has been a discussion on museumofhoaxes.com. Neaclear’s reaction:

the oxygenation is a special 4 step process that enables us to place oxygen into a stable liquid form. liquid oxygen normally exists only at the extremely low temperature of -183 degrees Celsius under normal atmospheric pressure. liquid oxygen in it’s purest form is highly combustible and basically “rocket fuel”.

NO, we do not have rocket fuel (pure liquid oxygen) in our products. please realize the oxygen concentration in our skin care products is not a large amount, definitely less than 5%. again, we always recommend not placing these products close to any sources of fire or anything flammable (a good piece of advice with any skin care products).



One more thing. I know this sounds rather cocky but I’m not convinced the action behind the product is pressure like stated on the Neaclear website. Yes, indeed, pressure (compression) has a beneficial effect on scar healing. Therefore it has been used since the 1960 in the treatment of burn and other scars. But how much pressure does a thin film apply? I have read lots of clinical reports and study abstracts and I am convinced to belief it is occlusion what makes that such products work.



Occlusion by silicone gels and sheets is thought to restore the water balance in the scar tissue thus preventing dehydration and excessive scar tissue. More on this in my post titled; how do silicones for scars work.



Neaclear Scar Advantage can be used on scars of all types – new or existing, traumatic or surgical. Whether or not it really works remains unclear. To me it seems comparable with other scar creams with roughly the same ingredients. The only difference is the addition of the mysterious liquid oxygen.



Have you used Neaclear Liquid Oxygen Scar Advantage? I would love to hear about your experiences. You can drop a comment below or contact me via the contact page.

Note: in order to avoid confusion, there are two Neaclear scar products on Amazon. Both with the same name but with other ingredients. The other product has chamomile and some other components in it.














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I was recently informed about a new scar product called Revitol Scar Removal Cream and I was wondering if it really works.


I have no personal experience with it nor could I find any trustworthy user reviews online. So if anyone has used this product, I would love to hear your experiences.

According to the Revitol Scar Cream website this product removes the appearance of acne scars, burns, cuts, gashes and surgical scars.

It is also mentioned that this product exclusively contains natural ingredients. If I’m understanding correctly it contains mostly proteins and vitamins.

This new product is said to enhance the skin’s regenerative abilities in a safe and effective way. The formula helps combat the causes of scarring and heals and fortifies skin.

I’m usually an advocate of silicone based products because these have scientific evidence behind them. But since medical science evolves, and not all components and products have been fully examined and researched there could always be products that work, although not (yet) confirmed by science.

What does makes me frown upon is the fact that the active ingredients aren’t mentioned. On the other hand, they do have a money back guarantee. If you are considering to purchase this product make sure to read the policy details on the bottom right side of the page.

We believe in offering the very best value, quality and selection to our customers. You may return any unused and unopened item purchased from us for any reason within Ninety (90) days of your purchase

Did you try Revitol Scar Cream? And did it work for you? Or maybe not? Please let me know so others can benefit from your experiences. Your feedback will be highly appreciated.

More information on their website.

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It can be hard for African Americans to find a good scar cream. People with black skin are more prone to keloid scar creation.

Not only people with black skin but also other ethnic groups such as Hispanics, and Asians are more prone to this type of unsightly scars. Unfortunately these scars can not be avoided but the risk on development can be decreased.

First of all it is recommended to use an antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin ) when the wound heals.

Another measure to boost wound healing and avoid complications such as infections (which indirectly increase the risk on scar tissue creation) are Medihoney wound dressings. Keeping a wound covered, clean, and protected will result in less scar tissue.

The best scar cream for black skin would be a silicone cream. This because silicones have shown to reduce the risk on disgraceful keloids. Especially when they are used on fresh scars. Apart from that they have also shown to remove keloids (only in some cases since keloids are hard to get rid of). Silicone gel creams also soften and flatten red, purple, raised, scars.

Here’s a list of commercially available silicone scar creams. I commonly recommend ScarAway or Kelo-cote because these are made of 100% silicones and do not contain less effective ingredients. According to studies silicone gel sheets are more effective than creams but the downside is that their use may be less convenient.



Something About Topical steroids.
Some people use a cortisone ointment (commonly prescription) but there are risks on using this kind of treatment. Reported side effects are discolorization and thinning of the skin.

Cortisone (steroid) creams are also used to help alleviate vitiligo, a skin disorder that causes depigmentation of patches of skin affecting black people. But steroids are not recommended for the treatment of vitiligo because steroids may help initially for a short time but may lead to a relapse of this condition.

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There’s a plethora of commercially available home remedies for scars. Think about scar creams based on vitamin E or onion extract like Mederma, Bio Oil, cocoa butter, Aloe Vera, cucumber butter, lime juice, skin remodeling copper peptides and so on.


The superabundance of positive online reviews and upbeat testimonials would indicate these remedies to be helpful in the struggle to reduce scars.


However, considered from a scientific perspective, there’s only one type of home remedy that is proven effective. With proven effective I mean backed by science.



Silicone Gel Sheeting
This is the type of home remedy I am talking about: silicones for scars. Several clinical trials and other studies [1],[2] have demonstrated that silicone gel sheeting prevents the development of problematic scars. It has also shown to be an effective home remedy for keloid and hypertrophic scars.




Silicone gel sheets significantly and clinically improved the appearance of scars. More specific; this remedy makes red, raised, stiff scars more skin colored, softer, pliable, and flat. Also the anti-itch and pain reducing abilities have been proven by studies. It will not surprise that silicone sheets, recommended by many plastic surgeons, burn centers and dermatologists, are called ‘the golden standard in scar treatment’. However early treatment is ideal, silicone gel sheets may also be beneficial for older scars



Medical grade honey for wound care
Wound healing, which can be a of major influence on scarring, can get a real boost when wound care products based on medical-grade honey are used.

A review in which 22 clinical trials were evaluated concluded that honey minimizes scarring, removes infected and dead tissue and speeds healing by stimulating new tissue growth. Some researchers even suspect this type of honey to have beneficial effects when applied directly on scars but at present there’s no research done.

A 1996 preliminary study from India showed that burns treated with honey healed sooner than those treated with conventional methods (petrolatum and gauze) and that scarring was reduced. (6.2% of the 450 patients treated ended up with scars compared to 19.7% of the same number of patients who received conventional treatment)



Conclusion
When we rely on medical science we can conclude that the best home remedies for scars are silicone gel sheets (or gels) and, in case of wound care, medical grade honey dressings. Recently, FDA approved medical grade honey dressings have become available on the consumer market.

More on how silicone gel sheeting works. The best brands to buy, and Medihoney wound care products.

[1] Topical treatments for hypertrophic scars Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology – Volume 55, Issue 6 (December 2006)
[2] Evolution of Silicone Therapy and Mechanism of Action in Scar Management by Dr. Thomas A. Mustoe Aesth Plast Surg (2008) 32:82–92 link (.pdf)

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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.

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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)

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

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Aldara is the brand name of 5% imiquimod cream. This prescription cream is mainly used to treat genital warts, basal cell skin cancers and other skin conditions. It has also shown to improve the quality of new hypertrophic scars after surgery in one preliminary clinical trial. Knowledge about this treatment is limited. Some side effects have been reported but you could always ask your doctor or surgeon for more information when undergoing surgery.

Aldara cream seems to work by stimulating the body’s natural immune system to oppose scar tissue formation.

I think this can be an option in case nothing else works. The following post on the breasthealthonline.org shows it did improve a very problematic scar:

“I had a horrible keloid scar and the doctor cut it out and then I began treatment with A ldara. The scar did NOT keloid up again. The only thing is that your scar will look a LOT worse before it looks better. The Aldara causes the area to scab up and look really bad, (but that is indication that it is working)”
Source: breasthealthonline.com

There are a few clinical trials showing evidence for the efficacy of this prescription cream.

“In one study, 15 patients with 2 months old hypertrophic breast surgery scars were treated with either petrolatum (e.g. Vaseline) or imiquimod 5% cream. After 24 weeks when the scars were evaluated (by assessment with standardized scales) almost all the scars treated with imiquimod cream scored better . Conclusion of this study was that imiquimod cream improved scar appearance after surgery.” (Topical Treatments for Hypertrophic Scars. Zurada, Kriegel, and Davis)

Other studies have shown imiquimod cream to be effective when applied after a keloid scar had been excised. More than one studies showed that none of the keloids reoccurred after the treatment. Minor side effects reported were a mild irritation during and right after the application of the cream. (some patients a had to temporarily stop using the cream). Also scar redness (hyperpigmentation) occurred on more than half of the patients in this study.

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