Scars form when the epidermis or outer layer of skin is damaged. The body responds to any trauma by producing collagen in an attempt to heal and repair. The result? Pink, red and raised scars. While there are many options to smooth scars and reduce redness, from simple and cheap, like vitamin E oil, to expensive, like laser resurfacing, we’ve rounded up the best six products to help your skin speed up the process of returning to normal tone and texture.
scar gels
Kinerase Scar Healing Therapy
This concentrated, non-greasy treatment gel helps to flatten, smooth and soften scars as a result of burns, accidents or other injury. Transparent, with the highest-grade silicone available, this formula absorbs quickly and leaves an invisible protective layer on the surface of the skin. This gel claims to normalize collagen production and results can be seen in as little as eight weeks.
Kinerase Scar Healing Therapy, $48
SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel
Featuring fancy ingredients like Centella asiatica, Bulbine frutescens and oleuropein, this effective treatment helps to take the pink out of skin while smoothing and flattening existing scars. Hydrating and soothing, this gel speeds skin recovery. According to claims, approximately 80 percent of patients using this gel saw their scars improve with six months of continual use.
SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel, $29.99
Curad Scar Therapy Advanced Gel Strips
This new product from Curad is innovative in its application — simply peel and stick the gel strips on a scar and watch them diminish redness, stiffness and irregularity. Made with three key ingredients, omega-6, retinyl palmitate and tocopherol, the company claims its product is more effective than Mederma. Bonus: the strips can be washed and re-used and the company claims results are visible after just one month of use.
Curad Scar Therapy Advanced Gel Strips, $15.60
Protégé Beauty FLAWless Scar & Blemish Treatment
Available in late July, this scar cream loaded with kelp, aloe vera powder, green tea and epidermal growth factor, promises to revitalize damaged skin from acne and surgery. The growth factor peptide contained in the cream increases the production of normal cells and helps to eliminate blemishes. In addition, this product is perfect for rosacea and stretch marks.
Protégé Beauty FLAWless Scar & Blemish Treatment, $49.99
Healing Touch Premium Scar Gel
Loaded with onion extract and rosehip oil, this cult favorite is the perfect addition to any medicine cabinet. Promising to lighten past marks from chicken pox, pimples and stretch marks, this cream is great for sensitive skin types and has a pleasant smell.
Healing Touch Premium Scar Gel, $39.95
Mederma PM Intensive Overnight Scar Cream
Formulated to work with the skin's natural regenerative and reparative nighttime healing, this cream is an intensive overnight scar treatment. Peptides, collagens and antioxidants provide the skin with the necessary building blocks to eradicate scars. This non-greasy formula also contains aloe, soy proteins and copper peptides to increase cell renewal.
Mederma PM Intensive Overnight Scar Cream, $34.99