Cicatricure scar gel: what a topical scar gel can do, which scars respond, and why starting early matters
A scar gel can soften and flatten the look of a scar over months. What is in this one, which scars respond, and how long to give it.
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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.
Scar gels are sold with a lot of before-and-after photos. It is worth knowing what a gel can realistically do, because it can do something, just more slowly and modestly than the photos suggest.
How a scar forms
When skin is injured deeply enough, it repairs itself with new collagen laid down quickly and somewhat chaotically. That is the scar. For months afterwards the scar is still changing: it is often red, raised and firm at first, then slowly flattens and fades over a year or more.
That long settling period is where a topical gel can help, by keeping the scar hydrated and supporting how it matures. It cannot change a scar that finished maturing years ago in the same way.
What is in this one
Cicatricure lists its active as the "Regenerare Complex". Ingredient lists for the gel vary by country, and some include onion bulb extract, centella asiatica and chamomile; one product description mentions silicone and vitamin E. Read the panel on the tube you buy.
- Silicone gels and sheets are the topical option with the best support from dermatologists, especially for raised scars. They work by covering the scar and holding water in it.
- Onion extract has mixed evidence; some studies show a modest effect on the look of a scar, others do not.
- Centella asiatica is a soothing plant extract common in skincare.
Which scars respond
Newer scars respond better than old ones. Raised scars and scars that are still red or pink tend to change more than flat, white, old scars. Sunken scars, like many acne scars, are a different problem and are usually helped more by treatments a dermatologist offers.
How to use it
Apply a thin layer to clean skin, two or three times a day, and massage it in. The massage itself helps soften a scar. Start once the wound has fully closed, never on an open wound. Be consistent for at least two to three months before judging.
Sun matters
A healing scar darkens in the sun, and the darkening can last. Cover it or use sunscreen every day; see what SPF measures.
Who it suits
Someone with a newer scar from a cut, a surgery or a burn that has closed, who wants to help its appearance as it settles.
What it will not do
It will not make a scar disappear. It will not change sunken acne scars much. And it will not do much on a scar that is many years old.
A topical scar gel for face and body, best started early and used daily for months.
The product
The one people are searching for is the Cicatricure Advanced Scar Gel.
We do not print prices here, because a price we typed last month is a price that is wrong today.
Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.
JamieG
Skincare and fragrance. Garner Town, Tennessee — population 125, two of whom are us.
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