Silicone gel/ patches - how effective are they?

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

Hoping someone else has experience of these. Have seen a few ads recently for silicone patches and gels for fading scars, some of them claiming to significantly reduce c section and acne scars and even stretch marks. Just wondered if anyone has used these and if they worked for you? Don't want to throw money away but would love it if they did reduce some of my scarring.

One of my dc had facial surgery and the plastic surgeon prescribed a silicone gel. It was to be used weeks after the surgery, before the scar tissue had even healed. It was good but the scar is very much still there, it certainly didn't erase it. No idea how it would work on 'old' scars though. One thing the surgeon did say to me was that it is the massage action that does the work rather than the actual product. At a follow up several years later he said the best thing for a raised/red scar was opening a Vit E capsule and using that to massage daily.

Yes! I used these on my pretty ugly, very long, bumpy, red EMCS scar

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Q1GWRMF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZDR2Eb6A0MBX4?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I was less interested in sorting out my weird skin sensation rather than the appearance, below it was completely numb and above it was super sensitive and sore like it had been rubbed too much.

I used these for nearly 3 months, the first time I put it on I could feel it there but you get used to it and can even shower in it etc. Because mine is long but thin I cut each one in half lengthwise and then one bit in half again to cover the bend so they lasted plenty of time.

The skin feels totally normal now and the scar looks so much better and just over a year it’s fading well. The bumpiness smoothed out and the angry red faded. It changed really gradually so I didn’t notice at the time.

I had one strip left which I gave to a friend who had a thick scar on his calf from a bike accident and he found it helped too.

I agree massage would also help but I couldn’t make myself touch my scar for ages. Putting the strips on was much more manageable.

Thanks, it's really interesting to hear your experiences. I would imagine you'd notice a more marked difference on more recent scarring than older ones (mine are 6 years old, so not particularly red, but very bumpy) @AnneLovesGilbert they look like the sort of thing I was looking at. Sounds like it might be worth a shot.

I’ve heard a lot about the patches, but you need to practically keep them on 24/7 for months for them to be effective.

The thing with the gel is that any product which leaves a similar texture will do, eg petroleum jelly or emollients in general. The patches seem better.

What type of scarring is it that you've got?

I'm asking because I have a bad burn scar which is raised as well as discoloured. It is two years old, I've tried everything I think!

On my scar I couldn't treat it with anything unprescribed for the first 6 months. After that the patches didn't work, nor did aloe vera or lavender oil or loads of other things.

The one thing that has worked for me is vitamin K cream, I order it imported from the US and I don't think it's one for vegetarians. Vitamin K has reduced the scar so that it is no longer raised and the discolouring is much improved. It works out at about £5 a pot.

I had a small keloid scar at the top of one breast from where I had a beauty spot removed - not a mole not a freckle, I don't know what the correct term is - and used silicone patches for maybe a year, it's flat and white now and pretty unnoticeable. The patches were much bigger than I needed and iirc they'd stay on in the shower so I'm pretty sure I only ever bought one pack and just cut them up. Two packs at the most. I don't remember exactly how long it took. I got it done on 7/7 - that's a day you wouldn't forget - so it's many years ago. But they definitely worked.

@ThatShallot that's interesting about Vitamin K cream. I have a 6 year old c section scar and much older scar from an ill advised belly button piercing when I was 19, as well as a scar from where I had a mole removed.

@SugarMiceInTheRain as yours are scars resulting from cuts they may react differently from burns.

Some people swear by vitamin supplements. If you're really bothered by them would laser treatments work?

I've got a small about 1cm post surgery scar but I'm not bothered about that one. The skin that's grown over the burn must be thinner because even all this time later it becomes sore if I don't put something on it every day.