Silicone GEL on scar??? anyone tried it?

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Marguerite53

Marguerite53

Premium Level User
Joined
May 18, 2004
Messages
3,635
Location
Oregon
I was wondering if any of you had treated your scar with this very expensive gel. It looks to come in a 5 x 6 inch sheet which you can cut to size. Then it has adhesive properties and one cut piece can be used for 28 days. I've scoured the internet and found a small package of it for under $50 so I may try it. The manufacturer's site is http://wound.smith-nephew.com/us/Standard.asp?NodeId=3023

My dermatologist never mentioned it, but rather mentioned that I was a "lucky" one whose scar had hypertrophied (aka keloided) and shot me up with cortisone which hurt and didn't last but a month or so. Would require several more sessions and they aren't cheap!! Not going there again.

I'm currently using some "get the reddness out" lotion from Clinique which is actually working a little bit (more for roeacea and also very expensive!!).

I'm just so tired of its being so very tender. (it's kind of messing with my intimacy! :mad: ) It's pretty swollen and red visually, but it's the tenderness and pain that's the nuisance.....and at 9 months, this is ridiculous! I know I should have been massaging it all this time but I'm a wimp and didn't. Now I'm wincing and going for it....hoping to break down the tissue some.

This is not my first thread about this stupid scar, so I appreciate your being patient with me!! If it looked this way and didn't hurt I wouldn't care but I'm just tired of it!! Thanks for any and all comments!

Marguerite
 
I don't think you should be having such redness, swelling and tenderness after 10 months. What does your doctor say about it. Are you sure there isn't an infection under the scar?
 
Marguerite,
I agree with Geebee . . . I don't think it should be tender or have redness this far out of surgery.
I can tell you that the product you mention is very good. At one time my daughter worked for a home health care provider and they used the product on burn patients. She said it was fantastic and even bought it for my SIL who had a bad scar from a burn he had received.
 
Thanks, ladies. The dermatologist said it looked pretty normal for what it was... hypertrophied skin...keloided. She said it definitely was not infected. That was in October. I'm not running any fever and there is no oozing or abcess looking area. I'm very fair (even blonde eyelashes and eyebrows) and I think it's just my reaction. The chest area is definitely prone to be more reactive...that on everyone, I guess.

I guess I just feel like it's stalled out and I want to give it a kick start in the right direction. That's why I started browsing online. They say this gel is most effective if you use it within 6 months. Oh well! It's supposed to work at any time, too. So I was just wondering if anyone had heard of it.

Definitely going to give it a try. Thanks!

Marguerite
 
My wife's dermatologist recommended the silicon patch/sheet after she got her mole removed.

Mederma is another type of cream (active ingredient: Onion Extracts) that has been around for a long time for scar.
We asked the dermatologist about Mederma cream and the dermatologist said the silicon patch works a little better (and less chance of reaction. My wife had some skin reaction from Mederma).
The silicon patch worked well for the mole scar which was small to begin with.

She tried the Neosporin brand silicon patch after OHS.
She had full length skin incision because of the amount of work the surgeon had to perform so scar still looks noticeable.
However we did notice the scar became flatter after we tried it.

She tried the silicon gel that comes in a tube but I do not think that worked as well as the patch. If the scar is on the face or parts that moves a lot like joint, then you would have to use the gel.

Costco used to carry Neosporin brand of the silicon patch at a price that is 1/2 of what you pay elsewhere...
You may want to check your local Costco to see if they carry it or their pharmacy can order it for you.
Local drug store should carry this brand as well. I think each box was under $50 at CVS.

Neosporin brand patches can be cut to the size and one box lasted a long time.
Each sheet can be worn for 3 days but it worked pretty well over 6 days. (you are supposed to wash it every day to clean it and make it stick again)
I doubt that other silicon sheet you mentioned will last 28 days. Even after washing, it will stop sticking after several days.

EJ
 
I am 6 mos. out from OHS and I have also just started using the same silicone sheets (Cica Care) as my scar is still red and raised. My dermatologist had recommended silicone gel called Kelocote, but I didn't think that it worked as well as the Cica Care. I used Cica Care before when I had an ICD implanted, and it really worked well. My ICD scar is now flat and white.
 
I just bought some Cica Care silicone strips today. The instructions say to use non oily soap to wash out the strips and reuse them. I think I will buy some Ivory Liquid before I start using it.
 
For "ordinary" scars, I've heard that Vitamin E (either liquid or gel) helps. Not sure if it is of benefit for keloid scars.

'AL Capshaw'
 
I used vitamin E (a gel in a bottle with an applicator brush) starting at about week 6. I'm not sure how much it helped. I've heard it is better to get the vitamin E capsules and puncture the capsule because that way the vitamin E doesn't evaporate or escape. Who knows.:confused:
 
Just curious.. is it the entire incision?
I too had some injections from the dermatologist.. my bullet holes look much better now..and he injected the bottom half of my incision.. which is where the problem was.
I still have about 1inch there that is raised and red.
He told me that it is natural for the skin to keloid in that specific spot:confused: ..
Not sure what to advice you on. I don't think the patch would hurt..so it may be worth the try.
 
Originally posted by Marguerite53
This is not my first thread about this stupid scar, so I appreciate your being patient with me!! If it looked this way and didn't hurt I wouldn't care but I'm just tired of it!!
Click to expand...

Hi Marguerite

I've posted on your earlier threads as my scar has been very sensitive as well. I wasn't able to use any creams, vitamin E, etc as I would break out in a rash. However, I can honestly say that at 11 months I think it's finally turning the corner. It's still sensitive and itchy but I really think it's improved quite a bit in just the past couple of weeks. I can finally tolerate my seatbelt more than just a short distance. And I am able to use my laptop back pack again. Still looks red and raised, but as long as it doesn't feel bad I don't care. Anyway it took longer than expected, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all.
 
Thanks, all.

Doyo, I called Costco but they do not carry anything in my area. I called my own dermatologist back and she "really did not know anything about them". Puzzling. She is supposed to be one of the best. She was happy to line me up for more shots, however.

Marky. My bullet holes are practically invisible....they were never sutured and were very very gross for a long time, but they healed up just fine for me. The dermatologist (and online sources) do say that the chest area is just more prone to hypertrophy or keloid. There is a difference between those two terms, but they certainly seem to be used interchangeably. Red and hard and ugly is red and hard and ugly!! :rolleyes:

Wayne. Thanks for posting again. It is always nice to have someone out there experiencing the same kind of thing. I know it is feeling better, but I felt as if it had stopped and wanted to kick it into gear in the right direction (it seemed to be moving in the wrong direction :mad: ). I just kinda ran out of patience. I'm so encouraged to hear that yours has finally stopped being so sensitive. We really must have the same kind of skin!

Everyone else! Thanks for your encouragement. I am going to see if I can get ahhold of some of that Cica Care gel.

I called a "wound care specialist" at our local hospital who had taken care of a never-healing sore of my father's ( achilles tendon pierced by blackberry thorn). She said that the Cica Care is rather thick and said that she preferred this product.... Mepiform made by Molnlycke http://www.molnlycke.com/item.asp?id=15073

So I'm going to spend a few days seeing how I can get someone to get one or both of these for me. I'll get back to ya'll.

Thanks again. Really!!!

:D Marguerite
 
I've used the silicone sheeting for scars many times in the past on patients with hypertrophic scars and it works well for those who use it correctly. The more time it's on, the better the overall results. I've found that less than 6-8 hours does very little if anything. Those who went for 24/7 (except for washing, etc) did the best. Sheets with 1/8" or so thickness did better than those with the very thin 1mm types. I find the key to getting the best results is pressure on the dressing. Those patients with scars on areas where there was shoe pressure (I did foot and ankle surgery - no I'm not advocating strapping a shoe to your chest :cool: ) had much better end results than those on the ankle or leg areas that got less pressure.
Now for the personal part...I had a hypertrophic scar the whole length of the sternum incision and used Mederma, Vit E and other topicals with minimal results. Started using silicone sheeting (Dow-Corning based, I don't recall the brand name). The strips were about an inch shorter than the scar so I used them over the worst part of the scar. Tried for all day with a tight T shirt to get some compression, but really only did about 12-18 hours per day. Kept it up for about 4 months. It did help immediately by keeping me from scratching at the scar all the time. The area that improved the best was under the center of the chest strap for the heart rate monitor I use during exercise (area of most pressure), did well for the rest of the scar that was under the strip, and now the area that was the best, by comparison, is now the worst because it never got any exposure to the silicone or any pressure.
In summary, I think you'll do better with sheeting vs. gels and stuff, but the real key to getting the most of the whole process is getting even pressure over the old wound scar. Not the easiest thing to do unless someone sits on your chest all day. :D
 
Thanks, Jeff. I'll keep that in mind. I believe that may be why the thinner one is more attractive to the "wound care specalist"? Maybe you can get a tighter attachment with it.

I appreciate everyone's input. Going to a clinic on monday. And of course, now that the appointment is made, the Clinique roasacea lotion is calming things down!! :rolleyes:

Marguerite
 
Hey Marguerite!...I just stumbled across this product while searching for something else today...

http://www.kelo-cote.com

Maybe this would be suitable and at $22 is alot cheaper than the alternatives and would be really easy to use with no weird silicone patch or sticking plasters involved just a clear gel...applying this stuff would massage the scar a little which would help too.
 
I had OHS 6 mos. ago, and started using Kelocote at around 6 weeks on the advice of my dermatologist. It worked to a point, but was still hypertrophic so I have just switched to Cica Care Gel Sheets which I used before for a previous surgery. It definitely works better than Kelocote, but you do have to work to keep it on the scar and from peeling off.
 
This is all great info. Thanks. I've managed to get my insurance to okay a visit with the wound care specialist and I'm playing phone tag with her to set up an appointment. She's a very nice person and I know we'll have a great discussion about it all. I'll get back to you when I know something else.

:) Marguerite
 
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