Can scar removal cream completely remove scars?

Not really

While scar removal creams can help improve the appearance of scars, they don’t completely remove them as the name might suggest.

Scars themselves have an important function. They are the result of the skin's self-repair after deep injuries, such as surgery, trauma, burns, etc. Without scars, these skin injuries cannot be healed. From this perspective, the existence of scars is fully necessary.

Mainstream scar removal creams may contain active ingredients such as silicone, but their main function is to soften scars and improve the appearance of scar hyperplasia, that is, to lighten scars, rather than really make them disappear completely. In addition, each person's skin type, skin healing ability and scar severity are different, and the time and method of using scar removal creams are different, and the effect will also vary.

In short, scar removal cream can be used as part of scar management, but everyone should have reasonable expectations, otherwise the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. In addition, for some serious scars, such as hypertrophic scars and keloids, sometimes other medical methods are needed to improve them, such as laser treatment, local injection treatment, or even surgical excision.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital