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Month 2 of the Derma e® Scar Gel Challenge!

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I’m on month 2 of the derma e® Scar Gel Challenge! I’ve noticed that the raised keloid scar on my right knee has gotten better over the past eight weeks, using the derma e® Scar Gel twice daily during that time.

How Do Scars Form?

When the skin is damaged, the body sends a specialty blend of reparative cells and an influx of blood flow to the area. How well your skin heals depends on a number of factors, including the severity of the injury, your age, genetic disposition, environment, and general health.

There are a number of ways injuries can heal and result in scars:

  • Too little collagen. When too little collagen is formed in the area of an injury, the scar is lower than the surrounding skin. This can look like an indentation or crevice in the skin.
  • Too much collagen. When too much collagen forms in the area of an injury, the collagen fibrils tend to form a cross-linked pattern. This can look like a raised area.
  • Just enough collagen, but other damaged underlying fibers. In other cases, other underlying skin fibrils can be damaged. This can result in areas that are rough, discolored, or less elastic than the surrounding skin.

What are the Differences Between Scars?

scar_atrophic

scar_hypertrophic

scar_keloid

There are three major classes of scars: atrophic, hypertrophic, and keloid.

  • Atrophic scars form a depression or sunken area. You often see these scars as a result of acne, chickenpox, surgery and accidents.
  • Hypertrophic scars form a raised area. Hypertrophic scars differ from keloid scars in that they usually do not expand beyond the wound. They can fade at least partially without any treatment.
  • Keloid scars also form a raised area. But keloid scars expand beyond the wound site — and sometimes well beyond it. Keloid scars are often treated with corticosteroid injections or surgery, because they normally will not fade on their own.

How Do Physicians Treat Scars?

It depends on the class of scars.

  • Atrophic scars are often treated with fractional laser treatments. In one study, 53 patients with mild to moderate atrophic facial acne scars received monthly treatment with a 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser. After six months, clinical improvement averaged 51% to 75% in nearly 90% of patients after three monthly laser treatments. Mean improvement scores increased proportionately with each successive laser session. Clinical response rates were independent of age, gender, or skin phototype. Side effects included transient erythema and edema in most patients, but no dyspigmentation, ulceration, or scarring. (Dermatologic Surgery, 2007)
  • Hypertrophic scars are treated commonly with radiation, pressure therapy, cryotherapy, intralesional injections of corticosteroid, interferon and fluorouracil, pulsed-dye laser treatment, or silicone gel sheeting (Clinical Dermatology, 2012). Of these, silicone gel sheeting is the least invasive, but is still effective. In one study, silicone gel sheeting was applied to 14 hypertrophic scars in 10 adults for 8 weeks. All the scars that had been treated for at least 12 hours a day were improved clinically after 4 weeks. There was further clinical improvement during the second 4 weeks of treatment. The treated scars were improved significantly at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, compared with both their own treatment value and the control scars (p less than 0.05). Control scars were unchanged using the same assessment methods (Surgery).
  • Keloid scars are treated similarly to hypertrophic scars — commonly with radiation, pressure therapy, cryotherapy, intralesional injections of corticosteroid, interferon and fluorouracil, pulsed-dye laser treatment, or silicone gel sheeting (Clinical Dermatology, 2012). However, unlike with hypertrophic scars, the rate with which silicone gel sheeting works is less convincing, and the scars tend to come back.

Which Scars Does derma e® Scar Gel Help With?

Derma E Scar Gel

Derma E Scar Gel

Derma e Scar Gel uses a unique combination of botanical extracts that soften, smooth and help to diminish the appearance of scars. These scars may include atrophic, hypertrophic, and keloid scars, as well as stretch marks, calluses, scar tissue, and other skin hardening. How well the Scar Gel works for you depends on a number of factors, including age, metabolism, genetic predisposition, environment, the body’s metabolism, wound care, the severity of the injury, and many other factors.

However, after two months of using derma e® Scar Gel, I must say that I notice a significant difference in the keloid scar on my knee. You can compare these photos to last month’s derma e® Scar Gel Challenge here!

Bottom Line

I’m impressed with derma e® Scar Gel on my keloid scar, which has an appearance that is typically difficult to improve. I will continue to keep you updated!

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