Fading Scars

Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 to MARKETSPACE > Skin Care

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

Some wounds take more time than others to heal and many leave scars. Jodi Thiessen investigates a treatment that helps minimize and in some cases has been shown to eliminate scar formation.

While some people heal quickly without scarring, for others even the slightest damage to the skin can result in a scar. Many people develop raised (hypertrophic), uneven (keloid) scars that display an almost purplish hue (hyperpigmentation). These types of scars appear to affect certain segments of the population with much more frequency. People who possess higher levels of melanin, the skin pigmentation factor, tend to scar more aggressively. There are treatments that can reduce these scars and provide a more pleasing aesthetic appearance.

One non-invasive treatment is Kelo-cote™, the first and only patented self-drying topical silicone gel that aids in the healing process of scars and damaged skin surfaces. It has been shown to help reduce the effects of post surgery, trauma related, post laser and post chemical peel scarring. While another non-invasive product, silicone gel sheeting has been used for many years to treat raised and/or discolored scars, the results can be erratic. According to AI Berlat, PhD.,the inventor of Kelo-cote™: "Doctors expressed a concern over the issue of patient compliance with silicone sheeting. They found it difficult to get patients to adhere to the therapy because it was cumbersome to use. Additionally, there was the potential for certain forms of dermatitis to result from gel sheeting use. This is due primarily to the need to employ adhesive tape or some type of restrictive bandage over the gel sheeting in order to insure some consistent contact with the underlying scar. This method of application provides a potential breeding ground for bacteria between the scar and the gel sheet." This was the impetus for Dr Berlat to develop the "Gel Sheeting Without The Sheet®" that offers the same advantages of gel sheeting, without any of the associated disadvantages.

"The advantage of the Kelo-cote™ topical gel is that it is easy to apply and forms an absolute barrier that prevents the passage of microorganisms to the blood stream. At the same time the silicone membrane is . gas permeable, and repels water (hydrophobic). This very mechanism allows skin covered with Kelo-cote™ to continue to breathe and function normally. Additionally, Kelo-cote™ provides the optimal wound healing environment as well as an enhanced moisture barrier," explained Dr Berlat "Because Kelo-cote™ provides the perfect environment for a scar to heal, it creates the opportunity for the body to remodel the site by laying down normal skin cells," states Dr Berlat.

There is a defined series of events that occur when bacteria are present around or within a wound or damaged skin site. "Microorganisms entering the blood stream contain antigens, which in turn create an enhanced immune response. Antigens are foreign bodies that upon entering the bloodstream cause the immune system to form antibodies. The antibodies protect the body from infection. Antigens contain a poison but are rendered harmless when they're bound to the antibodies," explained Dr Berlat. This process usually occurs immediately and continues over a period of 48 hours. It appears some people hyper-respond to this stimuli and over-produce antibodies. It is believed that an immune system that responds in this manner actually starts to fight off healthy cells as well as antigens, resulting in excessive scarring. Hypertrophic and keloid scars are defined as excessive scars.

In an effort to minimize excessive scaring, it is recommended that Kelo-cote™ be applied as soon as the scar has either gone through the initial healing process, or after the removal of any wound closure medium, such as sutures. Patients have reported positive results in as little as two weeks or less. For others it can take a number of months to see improvement. Healing time and scar remodeling depends upon a number factors: the age of the patient, the extent of the damage, the patient's wound healing history, the condition of the patient's immune system, genetic predisposition, location of the scar and more.

Kelo-cote™ is especially effective for new scars, though numerous patients have reported success when applying Kelo-cote™ to older raised and red scars. Dr Berlat explains, "Scientifically it is unclear why some older scars respond to treatment and others don't. One of the key considerations for Kelo-cote™ as a viable treatment for older scars is whether or not some level of active healing continues. Older scars that are still active are usually episodal, displaying intermittent activity that ranges from irritation or itching to periods of inactivity. We have even seen cases where the healing has apparently ceased and Kelo-cote™ still was able to elicit some improvement in the color of the scar."

Since there is little else on the market to help old scars, many patients are willing to give it a go and to their surprise are experiencing positive results. It has been observed that even old scars that display no marked improvement can be remediated through one of several methods of scar revision followed by Kelo-cote™ therapy. It is important to note that the best results are realized once the revised scar site has gone through the initial healing phase.

Plastic surgeon and clinical investigator Rex Moulton-Barrett MD, explained "My anecdotal clinical experience with Kelo-cote™ began as a plastic surgery resident when I applied the compound to the upper but not the lower lip of a 14 yr. old African American boy following laceration sustained from a car accident. The upper lip (treated with Kelo-cote™), healed without scar and the lower lip (treated traditionally) formed a hypertrophic scar.

"More recently I have been impressed with the rapid scar softening which occurs following application after carpel tunnel release. One nurse at the hospital complained that following endoscopic carpel tunnel release she had persistent tenderness of a small hypertrophic scar in her palm. Within two weeks of Kelo-cote™ therapy the scar softened and the redness was gone. We are currently in the process of conducting a clinical study looking at scars following carpel tunnel release in a double blind placebo controlled fashion."

Dr Barrett also stated that "Results from a double blind placebo controlled study in Chile indicate that Kelo-cote™ softens, reduces redness and reduces the size of cleft lip scars." Finally Dr Barrett said "I have offered this product (Kelo-cote™) to a variety of patients over the last two years in clinical practice. Almost uniformly they have reported to me that they have seen a dramatic reduction in scar erythema and scar softening within 7 days of application. I find it particularly helpful with erythema at the incision line of a circumareolar breast augmentation, tender carpel tunnel release scars and with traumatic perioral and facial scars which are recent."

Case Studies

My daughter, Shirlee, was bitten in the face by a German Shepard dog when she was eight. She had plastic surgery which was really good but still left big red raised scars on her face and under her chin. We used Kelo-cote™ as soon as we could after the surgery on her face and within weeks the redness was gone and so was the raised part of the scars.

Now she is eleven and you can hardly see the scars at all. We continued using it once a night for several months and my daughter is very happy now. She would have been scarred badly for life otherwise.
Cheryl Willis

I had surgery to my lower eyelids about eight years ago, and many years prior to that I had a peel under my eyes.The surgery left scars at the corners of my eyes which remained red and the peel remained red as well. I had to continually find cosmetics to cover the marks. I started using Kelo-cote™ less than two months ago after finding it on the internet. I called the company and they said they didn't know whether it would be successful because the scar was so old. At this point though I had nothing to lose.

I started using it and the redness started to lighten after about four weeks. And it keeps getting better. I apply it once a day, twice if nobody is around. I used to always wear makeup in front of my husband because I was so embarrassed by the scars. Now I don't, that's how much better they are.
Cathy

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