Heart News
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Post Operative Scarring from Heart OperationsNew Silicone Gel That Can Rub Scars Away A new post operative scar treatment - a silicone-liquid gel in a tube - provides a cheap and highly effective way of treating scars. Now available from pharmacists, Dermatix is a non-invasive silicone gel designed to soften, flatten and smooth scars as well as reduce discolouration, pain and itchiness. Easy to apply, it is odourless, transparent and can be used on sensitive skin. The liquid gel is also ideal for highly visible and difficult to treat areas such as the face or joints. It can be used on people of all ages and on a variety of scars from old to new. A 15g tube costs £39.99, which means that a 2inch scar costs about 67p to treat. The gel is applied twice a day for a minimum of two months and proves to be an attractive alternative to painful steroid injections. Experts believe that the silicone gel - which is impermeable to water - keeps the lesion moist. Abnormal scars can become bigger, which causes discomfort, itching or pain and can even restrict movement of a joint. A patient can often feel distressed, especially if the scar is visible. Plastic surgery consultant and scar specialist Graeme Moir based at the Royal London Hospital & St Bartholomew's says: "It is already proven that silicone gel is totally safe to use with no side effects while helping to prevent abnormal scar formation. I have witnessed the gel's effectiveness on patients, especially those with hypertrophic scars - scars following burns, which are usually red and thick, itchy or painful. Now we are even studying the gel's beneficial use for breast surgery patients". There are three main types of scars, hypertrophic, keloid and atrophic. Hypertrophic scars sometimes take up to a year to heal naturally while a keloid scar tends to affect darker-skinned people and can occur at any age where irregular clusters of scar tissue extend beyond the original wound. Atrophic scars are generally small round depressions, formed underneath the skin, formed when the healing process is interrupted in some way. Scars always develop from deep injuries to the skin but they are much easier to treat when they are young. They never completely disappear but now there is a range of treatments to improve their appearance. Plastic surgery can help, but there is a high risk of recurrence. Another highly effective form of treatment is steroid injections but these are painful, even with a local anaesthetic. Many people experience side-effects such as mood swings or insomnia with injections, and with steroid cream people can suffer from thinness of skin. There are non-invasive techniques such as pressure therapy that has been used to manage keloid and hypertrophic scars. Silicon gel sheeting has proven to be a safe and effective treatment too. Other treatments used without medical evidence to support their effectiveness, include Vitamin E creams, plant-extract creams and massage therapy. (comment: I will try it and let you know what happens, I have tried those scar reducing patches three times, with no visible result) Sue. |
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