Silicone Strips and Surgery Scar Reduction
Scars are part of having cosmetic surgery. YET fear of visible scars is one factor that may leave people postponing their surgical procedures. Over time, scars tend to become a minimal concern. That’s because they end up being less important, emotionally, than the discomfort and distress of having something patients want to change. Plus, silicone strips and laser treatments may help with scar minimisation.
“But for cosmetic surgery, there’s increasing popularity of using silicone strips to help surgery scars heal better. And although they cost a lot, their price is a small portion of your surgery costs – and they may really help.”
Silicone Strips and Scars: Investing in your scar result
Do Silicone Strips work to help heal scars?
What can be done to help scars heal better to become less visible (less noticeable) over time?
First, what causes scars?
- Every surgery will result in some form of a visible scar.
- Early incision lines often appear red or even angry looking (be cautious about wound care to prevent infections, which worsen scars).
- Everyone heals differently, but most scars fade over time.
Second, how long before a scar matures and can you help it along?
- Scar maturity typically takes up to 12 months (up to 18 months).
- Silicone Strips, Light Therapies, Dermapen and other modalities may be suitable options to help reduce the visibility of any large post-operative scars after surgery especially used on breast lift (mastopexy) scarring.
- Eating nutritiously, staying hydrated, never smoking and following post-op instructions precisely are also crucial to minimise post-op scar complications or stretched scar formations.
Silicon Strips have been shown to help reduce scars for some patients when used properly along with following all post-surgery instructions.
Other factors impacting your scar, however, include:
- the type of surgery you had
- the length, location or width of the incision line needed to get you a good surgery result, and
- your natural healing capacity
Our Dermal Clinicians and Plastic Surgeons work diligently to reduce scars after your surgical procedures (including hiding them below clothing lines and making incisions as skinny as possible).
Evidence-Based Protocols for Scar Management
- Several post-op scar minimisation protocols may be recommended for your surgery scars
- These scar treatment protocols may also be combined with other scar management modalities
- These could include Healite II light treatments, Dermapen Micro-needling, skin needling, chemical or enzyme peels and other light-based treatments.
Scar Revisions
Scar revisions might also be an option such as if your post-op actions stretched your incision line area (increasing the width of the incision line scar or resulting in a ragged looking scar, and various modalities might be recommended including topical treatments of high-grade Vitamin E oils to encourage healing.
What’s important to know about your scar
But remember that everyone heals and scars differently to everyone else. Scar formation isn’t fully predictable or controllable, even though there’s a lot you CAN do to help minimise their appearance.
Again, what you do matters. It’s critical that you do not smoke – otherwise, your surgery result, your healing and your overall health will be very compromised. So what you do post-op is just as important as what your Surgeon does to help you get a less visible scar result (minimal scars as they heal over 12 months or longer).
It’s a collaborative effort to help keep scars as minimal as possible.
How skin health and genetic traits impact your scar
- Scars vary greatly in quality, depth, size, texture (elevated, indented or somewhat smooth) and shape.
- A scar formation will somewhat depend on the nature of the injury or trauma, the location, depth and length of a surgical incision or cannula entry point for liposuction.
- The scar will be highly impacted by internal and external conditions of wound healing.
- Some of these conditions are controllable and some are not.
- Genetics can have an impact on your scar healing capacity (some high-melanin skin types are highly prone to keloid scarring).
- Richly pigmented skin (Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, and others) may end up with more visible scars or raised scar tendencies known as keloid scars – ask your surgeon for details
Having healthy skin and a good immune system may help a lot when it comes to healing well from a scar.
You’ll need to do your part, but our Plastic Surgeons, Nurses and Dermal Clinicians can help you learn how to prepare your skin for surgery and other treatments; they can also help your skin recover from incisions.
- Be sure you attend any recommended Coco Ruby and/or Healite II light therapy appointments if these are recommended.
- These can feel nice after surgery as well as help to rejuvenate or heal your skin.
Can Silicone Strips Help Reduce Scars?
Silicone strips are a topical treatment, but they have the ability to reach deeper layers of the skin to help reduce the presence of visible scars over time. They are not inexpensive and they require extra care during your healing period, but for some patients, they may help reduce scars over time.
What Silicone Scar Treatments Involve
- Silicone strips are an ultra-thin sheet of silicone that is applied and are often worn 24 hours per day.
- Once approved to use these (be sure to ask your Surgeon or Nurse first), you’ll be able to place them over the scar formation area.
- These strips have a self-drying technology that allows them to dry on the skin within about 5 minutes after application.
It is important to note that they might not work effectively for every patient, and not every patient’s surgery might be suitable for Silicone Strips. That noted some Silicone Strip product providers have reported these strips can produce up to:
- an 86% reduction in scar texture (e.g. helping with smoothness)
- an 84% reduction in colour
- and a 68% reduction in height (elevation) of the scars.
Our Specialist Plastic Surgeons and Dermal Clinicians are keen to see more evidence-based, non-sponsored research being done to assess just how effective these treatments are. But from what is known currently, it is likely that silicone strips might be an effective method for treating various scars after surgery for some patients.
These types of scar-treatment products have several effective actions.
How Silicone strips may help your scars:
- Increase hydration of stratum corneum (outer layer of the skin).
- Facilitate the production of fibroblasts (cells that manufacture and maintain connective tissue) and restructure collagen in the ‘traumatised’ skin, to help you gain a softer or flatter scar.
- Protect the scarred tissue from bacteria and prevent excessive production of collagen which can be induced by bacteria in the scar tissue area.
- Modulate the production of FGF β. “FGF β normalises the production of collagen in an abnormal scar and increases the production of collagenases which help breaks down excess levels of collagen.”
What are the Pros and Cons of Using Silicone Strips?
All products have their strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to silicone strips, it has its pros and cons too.
PROS
- Staying power: Silicone Strips can aid in faster scar healing than gels. That’s because the silicone strips ensure your scar tissue are continuously exposed to silicone – unlike gels, which can be inadvertently or easily wiped off.
- A non-invasive and painless way of helping reducing scar tissue.
- Can also help minimize redness, pain, bumpiness or itching of scar tissue as your skin heals.
- Comes in multiple sizes.
- Blends well with your natural skin contours so not overly obvious that you’re using these products (but depends on what you’re wearing and where the strips are placed).
- Easily accessible and readily available.
CONS
- Duration: Needs to be worn 24 hours a day and can be visible under some forms of clothing.
- Silicone strips are expensive compared to gels.
- Allergic reactions are possible, and you might be allergic or sensitive to the products.
What Types of Scars do Silicone Strips Treat?
Silicone strips are noted as most suitable for elevated scars – and may work to prevent or treat hypertrophic scars as well as keloid scars.
- Hypertrophic scars remain within the boundaries of the injury or damage but are raised
- Keloid scars extend beyond the incision or wound area and into the surrounding skin.
Both types of scars may be itchy or painful. In severe cases, these scars can affect one’s mobility.
Can I use Silicone Strips on an Old Scar?
You can use silicone strips on old scars as well as recent scars.
When Should I Begin using Silicone Strips?
For newly healed wounds, be sure to wait until there is no further bleeding, oozing or crusting on the area you are treating. Ask your Surgeon for specifics as this is general information only, but for post-surgical scars, you might be able to begin using it 1 to 2 weeks after your sutures are removed – but don’t use it until and unless your Surgeon gives you clearance to do so.
Can I use Silicone Strips on any Part of My Body?
Yes, mostly. Silicone strips may be suitable for use on most body parts as long as the tissue has healed adequately.
How long should I use it?
- Treatment duration will vary from person to person
- Duration depends on the extent and severity of the scar and your skin’s healing and scar formation processes.
- Sometimes the recommended duration of silicone strips usage is 8 to 12 weeks for new scars or 3 to 6 months for existing scars. That’s a fairly long protocol to follow but if you do, you may be rewarded by less visible scars (that noted, for many people but not all, scars may fade within 12 to 18/24 months after surgery).
- The results of these treatments may vary.
How will I use Silicone Strips Properly?
Your Surgeon, Nurse or Dermal Clinician will help teach you how to use your silicone strips properly:
- Scar massage should only be done gently around the scar.
- Remove the strips when showering.
- Swap out weekly (each strip may last for approximately one week – so it is recommended to change it weekly on average).
- Report any changes in your skin sensation, itchiness, redness, irritation, and other abnormalities in your scar tissue to your Surgeon immediately for further medical evaluation.
