Whether from minor everyday mishaps or more extensive events, such as surgery or a major accident, the integrity of your skin can be compromised–forming a wound, and then a scar. The skin repair process that leads from wound to scar can be uncomfortable, including symptoms like redness, itching, tightness, and more. It’s a natural process that should result in a smooth, unnoticeable scar–though not always. Occasionally, the skin may form a hypertrophic or keloid scar, types of scars that are quite visible in both color and texture. These scars can’t always be avoided, but there are precautions you can take to support your skin’s healing process as much as possible, creating the best environment for your skin to repair itself and form a smooth, subtle scar. Scar gels, creams and sunscreens can be a part of this process. In this post, we’ll guide you through the most common recommendations and tell you how you can use these products to help prevent and reduce scarring.
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Best silicone gels for scars
The application of silicone to scars has long been the favorite method of scar management–whether in silicone sheets, tapes, or gels. If you’re looking for a gel or cream you can apply to prevent or reduce scarring, then you might want to consider a product containing silicone, which helps create an environment that encourages optimal skin healing.
Once your wound has closed and you have new, unbroken skin, you can start applying your silicone gel for an initial period of around three months.
Sesderma Silkses Skin Moisturizing Protector
The aloe-infused silicone gel
Sesderma Silkses Skin Moisturizing Protector
Sesderma Silkses Skin Moisturizing Protector is a gel formulated with silicones, vitamins A, C and E, and plant extracts (aloe and mimosa). While silicone acts as a protective barrier to facilitate the skin’s natural regeneration process, vitamin A activates cell repair and vitamins C and E provide an antioxidant action. Finally, the natural extracts of aloe and mimosa offer soothing, moisturizing, and regenerating benefits.
This product can be used several times a day, whenever necessary, and it’s well suited to caring for the skin after both minor injuries and cosmetic interventions.
SkinCeuticals Correct Advanced Scar Control
The ultra-smooth gel
SkinCeuticals Correct Advanced Scar Control
SkinCeuticals Correct Advanced Scar Control is a silicone gel specially designed to improve the appearance of recent scars, as it helps smooth and soften the skin. Formulated with 95% silicone, 0.5% allantoin, 2% Soline® and 1% Airlicium™, this gel creates an occlusive barrier to promote a uniform healing process, all the while soothing the skin.
The light, non-sticky texture is barely noticeable and can be used on skin that has been weakened by surgical interventions or injuries such as burns, scrapes, and cuts.
Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel
The perfect gel for scar massage
Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel
Avène Cicalfate+ Scar Gel is a massage gel for scars, suitable for both the face and body. The formula features a blend of dimethicone (a type of silicone) and hyaluronic acid, two ingredients that protect the skin and keep the scar properly hydrated, and [C+-Restore], a patented post-biotic active ingredient that promotes skin repair.
The gel texture is suitable for massaging the scar and is recommended after dermatological or surgical interventions, on the face and body, both for adults and children. In addition to providing an immediate soothing effect, it also helps improve the appearance of scars after 3 weeks.
Best non-silicone scar creams
If for any reason you can’t or don’t want to use silicone gels, research indicates that using a repairing cream (the famous “cica” creams with Centella asiatica) may also help you manage the scarring process. In general, we’d recommend using the silicone gels for 3 months and then following up with these cica creams for 9 months–but if that doesn’t work, you can opt to use cica creams from day 1, if you prefer.
Unlike silicone gels, which have very similar textures, cica creams come in different formulas and textures, so we advise you to search for the one that suits you best. Lighter textures will work best on the face, especially if you have oily skin, while balmy ones will be great for the body or extremely dry skin types.
Filorga Neocica Moisturizing Repairing Care
The collagen-boosting cream
Filorga Neocica Moisturizing Repairing Care
Filorga Neocica Moisturizing Repairing Care is a moisturizing and restructuring cream that helps the skin recover from sunburns, superficial burns, skin irritations, and cosmetic procedures (such as peelings, lasers, injections). The formula combines rhamnose polysaccharides, for a soothing effect, with urea and hyaluronic acid, for long-lasting skin hydration. Also included are collagen precursors, which help promote epidermal repair and an optimal scarring process.
This ultra-gentle melting formula can be applied 3 to 6 times a day to the sensitized area, using gentle movements.
SVR Cicavit+ Soothing Cream Fast Repair Anti-Mark
The microbiome-friendly scar cream
SVR Cicavit+ Soothing Cream Fast Repair Anti-Mark
SVR Cicavit+ Soothing Cream Fast Repair Anti-Mark is repairing cream that soothes damaged and irritated skin while promoting its healing process. It’s suitable for a variety of situations, including the management of scars associated with chickenpox, tattoos, or surgical and dermatological procedures (peelings and laser treatments), among others.
The soothing formula combines a rhamnose-rich polysaccharide, which forms a protective film over the skin and helps reduce discomfort, and a prebiotic sugar, which helps rebalance the microbiome to optimize the speed and quality of the skin’s recovery process.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Ultra-Repairing Soothing Balm
The repairing cream for the whole family
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Ultra-Repairing Soothing Balm
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Ultra-Repairing Soothing Balm is a soothing and repairing balm for damaged or fragile skin. The formula is suitable for the whole family, including adults, children, and babies, and can be used to manage small everyday lesions and post-procedure sensitivity.
The formula combines 5% vitamin B5 (also known as panthenol, which repairs the skin barrier), Tribiome (a unique prebiotic complex, which rebalances the microbiome to improve the quality of skin repair), and Madecassoside (a derivative of the Centella asiatica plant, which soothes the skin).
Best sunscreens for scars
Post-inflammatory pigmentation is a common phenomenon that turns your brand new scars into enduring spots or patches of hyperpigmentation. Some people are more prone to it than others, but anyone can be affected if they expose a scar to the sun without adequate sun protection.
Therefore, if your priority is to prevent your scars from becoming even more noticeable in the future, it’s essential to use a sunscreen with very high protection whenever you are exposed to the sun.
A-Derma Epitheliale A.H. Ultra Protective Repairing Cream SPF50+
The ultra-calming sunscreen
A-Derma Epitheliale A.H. Ultra Protective Repairing Cream SPF50+
A-Derma Epitheliale A.H. Ultra Protective Repairing Cream SPF50+ is a dual-action repair and protection cream that helps reduce red and brown spots associated with scarring and pigmentation. The formula contains a patented repair complex of 3 active ingredients called Cicahyalumide®, composed of dipeptide, hyaluronic acid, and Rhealba® oat seedling extract. Peruvian liana is also used for its ultra-calming properties, which help soothe uncomfortable sensations such as itching or burning.
The formula is ideal to help repair the skin after superficial damage, whether from minor everyday injuries or procedures such as peelings, lasers or tattoos.
Bioderma Cicabio Soothing Repairing Cream SPF50+
The skin-strengthening sunscreen
Bioderma Cicabio Soothing Repairing Cream SPF50+
From the well-known Cicabio range comes the Bioderma Cicabio Soothing Repairing Cream SPF50+, a repairing cream with very high sun protection to help prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The formula combines Antalgicine™ Technology, which helps regulate skin reactivity and soothe feelings of discomfort, with the D.A.F. Patent, which increases the skin’s tolerance threshold, making it more resilient in the process.
Together, these ingredients help the skin follow its natural repair process and achieve complete, quality healing–all, of course, with high sun protection to reduce the risk of hyperpigmentation.
Heliocare 360 Mineral Fluid SPF50+
The 100% mineral sunscreen
Heliocare 360 Mineral Fluid SPF50+
Those with very sensitive or sensitized skin often seek out mineral sunscreens, and we particularly like this one: the Heliocare 360 Mineral Fluid SPF50+.
With a fluid texture that is easy to apply and quickly absorbed by the skin, this sunscreen offers broad spectrum sun protection against UVB, UVA, IR-A, and Visible light, thanks to its advanced combination of physical filters and active ingredients–the key ingredient being, of course, the famous Fernblock®+, a green tea extract with intense antioxidant and sunscreen boosting activity.
Skin healing and scar management can be a complex process. If you’d like to discover more products that can help you prevent and reduce scarring, make sure to drop by the shop, where we’ve curated a selection of skin repair creams for both face and body.
