Pelvic Health Tip of the Week: Silicone May Help Your Scar Feel Better
Many people don't know this...but my first daughter was a surprise Cesarean birth. I had a long labor-- 37 hours long to be precise-- and it ended in a Cesarean after I spiked a rapid high fever and she stopped tolerating contractions. My first Cesarean scar was a bit rough. It was adhered, uncomfortable, and the tissues did not move well around it. It also started keloiding, which I wasn't thrilled about. When my second daughter was born, I knew that I wanted to manage that scar differently. I did a lot of research on silicone, and started using silicone strips once cleared by my provider around 4-6 weeks. I believe it made a big difference in the mobility and look of my second scar.
Medical grade silicone has been used for many years to help scar tissue. There have been multiple research studies looking at the use of silicone to improve scars in individuals who have experienced burns, and silicone has been studied for other scars as well. In fact, a 2020 meta-analysis reviewing the effectiveness of silicone gel found that use of silicone significantly reduced pigmentation, height, and pliability scores postoperatively compared to no treatment. A Cochrane review found that silicone helped to reduce risk of keloid scars when used for 12-24 hours per day for 2-3 months.
Trying Silicone For Scarring
If you're curious about trying silicone for your scar, there are several options available, and research has not shown one method to be superior to another.
Silicone Gel: Gel like the one linked here can be used for the scar. This is generally massaged in to the scar 3-4 times per day for 2-3 months.
Silicone Sheets: Sheets like this are sticky like tape on one side and stick to the scar. Typically, it is recommended to use this for around 12 hours, daily for 2-3 months.
If you haven't tried silicone and have a scar that's bothering you, it's definitely worth a look! And if you're a patient with SPH-- talk with your therapist! We have silicone on-hand always, and we're happy to get you started!
Get In Touch With Dr. Jessica Reale
Southern Pelvic Health offers services in Atlanta as well as remote virtual consultations.