Each year, more than 250 million surgical incisions are made around the world each year, with an estimated 100 million resulting in noticeable scarring.1,2 While surgery is the leading cause of scars, others include injury, burns, skin tension, acne, and infections.
According to data published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), surveying individuals in Brazil, France, China, Russia, and the United States, more than 53% of individuals had a scar on their body, revealing that scarring is far more common than previously believed. On average, each person had between five and six, with many reporting itching, discomfort, pain, and unhappiness with the look of their scars.3
The likelihood of developing a scar can depend on a number of factors, from age and general health to genetics and how the wound is cared for.
Top Ingredients for Scar Care
To help prevent and minimize the appearance of scarring, clinicians have published hundreds of studies to help determine which ingredients can be most effective in the treatment of post-surgical, cosmetic, and injury-related scars.
1. Medical-Grade Silicone
Silicone is widely accepted as the gold standard in scar care, but the grade of silicone used in your scar therapy of choice can play a significant role in its efficacy. There are two grades to be aware of. When selecting a silicone scar gel, cream, or sheet, be sure the label clearly states that the formula contains medical-grade silicone to ensure safety and results.
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Medical-Grade Silicone is the #1 clinically-recommended ingredient for scar treatment.† It tests high in purity, does not contain byproducts, is trusted for use in both topicals and internal use (like silicone implants and catheters), and is generally considered hypoallergenic and non-toxic. Medical-grade silicone is scientifically validated for the treatment of many types of scars and regarded as the first line in scar treatment.
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Cosmetic-Grade Silicone, also called consumer-grade silicone, is lower in purity, may contain byproducts, and is generally intended for cosmetic creams and skincare products.
Over more than 30 years of clinical trials, evidence has consistently positioned silicone as the preferred recommendation among healthcare professionals worldwide. A review published in Advances in Wound Care (Bleasdale et al., 2015), details its well established ability to help improve color and overall appearance, promote softer more flexible scars, reduce the height and thickness of scars, and decrease symptoms like itching, pain, and discomfort.4
The review details how silicone helps create and ideal healing environment by:
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Creating a protective, breathable barrier
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Supporting balanced hydration
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Prevents excess collagen signaling, a key driver of raised, hypertrophic, and keloid scars
Additionally, researchers have found that the use of silicone as an early intervention can be effective in not just treating scars, but preventing them. In other words, it is not just a therapy to help improve existing scars, but a prophylactic to help avoid the development of abnormal scarring. Early use is key, according to international scar management guidelines published in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (JPRAS, Monstrey et al., 2014) is key. The study emphasizes that silicone should be used as soon as the wound is healed for best results, establishing it as foundational to optimal scar recovery, easy to use, noninvasive, and suitable for long-term use.5
2. Peptides
Increasingly common in skincare, particularly for anti-aging and renewal purposes, peptides are amino-acid compounds that act as easily absorbed signaling molecules for processes like tissue repair. In terms of scar treatment, the use of peptides has emerged as a more recent innovation for supporting skin rejuvenation.
A 2025 review published in the Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials (He et al.) details the power of peptides in skin repair, exploring how peptides actively support wound healing. Certain peptides have been linked to boosting growth factors, supporting stem cell regeneration in skin, accelerating wound closure and tissue regeneration, modulating inflammation, increasing and regulating collagen production, promoting skin barrier repair, and stimulating tissue remodeling. This maps directly to outcomes like thickness, texture, elasticity, and the overall appearance of scar formation.6
In addition to regulating collagen production and organization, imbalances in which can lead to raised scars (too much collagen) or poor appearance (disorganized collagen remodeling), peptides help to improve skin structure by:
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Increasing the production of elastin, which allows for more flexible, less rigid scars
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Supporting skin barrier proteins and supporting overall skin architecture
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Reducing transepidermal water loss (TEWL) to support skin hydration
Peptides can also act as antioxidants, helping to neutralize free radicals, lower inflammatory signaling, and help prevent environmental damage like photoaging. They may also help to reduce redness and pigmentation, improve texture, improve uneven tone, and inhibit melanin production (which can be especially effective for acne scars, darkened surgical scars, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)).6
3. Lycopene
A powerful, fat-soluble antioxidant, Lycopene is the carotenoid that gives tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruit their red color. Clinical evidence has demonstrated its properties to act as a potent free-radical scavenger, helping to protect skin cells from damage. Recent studies have also shown its abilities to support wound healing and scarring.
In a 2024 animal study of lycopene and diabetic wound healing (Salunke et al.), researchers found evidence that it may help accelerate the closure of slow-healing wounds. In diabetic rats, topical lycopene contributed to an improvement in wound healing of up to 88.9%. The wounds treated with lycopene had better formation of new skin layers, increased collagen, and more organized tissue. It is theorized that lycopene may interact with pathways that are directly involved in tissue rebuilding, collagen remodeling, and long-term scar maturation.7
A 2019 human clinical study (Johny et al.) exploring lycopene and oral tissue scarring found that patients treated with lycopene showed a significant improvement in burning symptoms and tissue flexibility, suggesting that lycopene helped to reduce the inflammatory response and regulate collagen remodeling.8
Additionally, tomato-derived lycopene has been found effective in clinical trials for reducing UV-induced hyperpigmentation and skin damage, helping to promote even skin tone and texture.9
4. Vitamin C
Lauded for its many skin health benefits, clinical research has found that vitamin C, especially when used in tandem with silicone, helps to reduce the appearance of scars.
A comparative case published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Yun et al.) evaluated a silicone and vitamin C combination for the appearance of surgical scars. Patients treated with this combination showed a significant reduction in redness from surgery to six months post-procedure. Scars appeared flatter with more even skin tone, texture, and pigmentation than in untreated patients. Overall, the combination of silicone and vitamin C contributed to less visibly noticeable scars.10
5. Zinc Oxide
Zinc is widely studied for its importance in wound healing, and is involved in essentially every stage of healing from immune response regulation to tissue remodeling.
Zinc oxide is an insoluble form of this key mineral, which acts as a steady, slow-release topical local delivery system shown in research (Lin et al., 2017) to help support faster wound closure, collagen organization and tissue remodeling, and promote optimal healing by helping to balance inflammation.11
A pre-clinical study of wounded rabbits published in Burns (Aksoy et al., 2010) examined the impact of topical zinc oxide on scar formation. A topical ointment, applied daily, was found to significantly reduce the formation of raised (hypertrophic) scars and contribute to lower clinical scar severity scores, suggesting zinc oxide may help to reduce scar thickening during healing.12
Additionally, a critical scar healing consideration in scar healing is environmental protection. UV damage can worsen scarring by stimulating excess melanin production that results in dark spots and hyperpigmentation, breaking down the collagen needed for healing, and contributing to thicker, more prominent scars.
Cole et al., published in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, and Photomedicine in 2016, found that zinc oxide can help protect skin from UV damage by acting as a broad-spectrum filter, absorbing radiation at a molecular level. This may help reduce UV penetration that can lead to oxidative stress, photoaging, DNA damage, and inflammation which can, in particular, worsen the appearance of PIH and scarring.13
NEW: Advanced Scar Gel + Peptides
This breakthrough in scar care technology was clinically-developed to improve the appearance of old and new post-surgical, injury-related, and cosmetic scars, and can be used safely and effectively on skin and body to:
Promote optimal healing
Improve scar appearance
Flatten and soften scars
Calm, soothe + nourish
Hydrate and protect
Physician formulated with clinically-studied ingredients: a medical-grade silicone matrix of three high-purity silicones, a powerful skin-renewing peptides complex, vitamins C + E, zinc oxide, and lycopene, this intensive gel deeply penetrates skin to promote visible renewal in as little as four to eight weeks.
Lightweight, non-greasy, and perfect for wear with or without makeup, Advanced Scar Gel + Peptides leaves skin with a smooth, soft-focus matte finish.
Ideal for use on a wide array of hypertrophic scars, including:
Surgical
Injury-related
Burns
Post-acne scars
Cosmetic
Keloid
Transform your skin with the science of silicone, plus the power of peptides.
†Based on Updated Scar Management Practical Guidelines: Non-invasive and invasive Measures, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (2014) 67, 1017-1025.