Scars that are located on the face can cause much suffering and distress to people.  Therefore there are a lot of products on the market claiming to treat facial scarring.  With all the noise regarding how great products are it is difficult to know which ones to select. This article will discuss some of the better creams and products on the market to help you make a selection.

So with all the products on the market the most common are based on vitamin E, onion extract, cocoa butter, cucumber, lime juice, and aloe vera.  What is really interesting about this product list is that a lot of them really don’t help heal scars at all.  There has been a lot of testing to prove the efficacy of these products with some interesting results.

Most scar treatments don’t work…

One of the most common products on the market used to treat scars is called Mederma.  Mederma contains onion extract but it really isn’t that effective in improving the appearance of scars, especially when compared to some of the petroleum based products on the market.

Onion Extract

Some studies conducted comparing onion extract gel against petroleum based products showed that scar improvement was no greater with onion extract.    In fact most dermatologists will tell their patients who chose to use onion extract that they will not see an improvement in their skins and as well, there will be no harm done.   This is also the same for Vitamin E use.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E has long been touted as a phenomenal treatment for scarring in general.  However the truth is it isn’t any better and in fact it is actually worse for treating scarring when compared to petroleum based products.  Vitamin E can cause the scar’s appearance to worsen, and as well can cause a rash and also significant other skin irritations in many patients.

What this tells us is that many of the products on the market today do not help in healing facial scarring.   No studies have been conducted on lime, cucumber and lemon juice or cocoa butter.    There is good news though.  There are a few treatments that can be of assistance when treating facial scarring.  These are silicone gel sheets and honey.

Treatments That actually Work…

Silicone Gel Sheets

Silicone gel sheets are small thin sheets that contain silicone which are used to treat scars that have excessive scar tissue.  These scars are mainly kleoid and hypertrophic scars that are lumpy and have extra layers of tissue.  These sheets are generally considered the gold standard for scar treatment, and a lot of times are used to treat burns.  While there is a better improvement with newer scars silicone sheets also work well on older scars.

Using Honey to Treat Scars

Honey is a phenomenal natural product for treating scars and even helping to heal wounds.  Honey is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.  Honey has the capacity to treat infections, moisturize dead skin, lessen scarring and it actually encourages new growth of tissues.

There was a study conducted in India in 1996 which analyzed burn treatment.  It compared burns treated with honey against those treated with bandaging and a petroleum based product.  The results were shocking.  Those wounds that were treated with honey actually showed quicker healing and a significant decrease in the amount of scarring that occurred.  In honey treated patients there were 6.2% of 450 patients with burns developed scars whereas 19.7% of 450 treated with bandages and petroleum based products developed scarring.

These are exciting results and it seems as though more and more dermatologists are recommending the use of honey to treat and fade scars.

Scar Therapy using Acupuncture

One of the least well known treatments for scarring is actually acupuncture.  In acupuncture there is a treatment called surrounding the dragon.  This is scar therapy in Chinese Medicine.  The scar is actually surrounded on the outside with many small needles to increase qi and blood flow to the area.  This will help heal the scar much quicker.

So what is the best way to go?  How do you know what to do in order to treat your scarring?

The truth is, there isn’t one product that is going to remove your scar completely.  It is important to understand what causes a scar.  For example a lot of tissue is built up and perhaps blood flow isn’t moving as greatly as necessary.  So massage can help here.  Honey wraps are excellent for scaring, get a warm washcloth and place honey on the scar and create a nice warm honey pack.

All in all, any moisture added to the skin can help benefit the area.  Massage and moisture will help your skin overall.  Honey can help significantly in decreasing scarring and discoloration as well as infection.   I highly recommend trying acupuncture scar therapy as well.  Best of luck in your search!