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One third of women in the United States have a C-section delivery. While this brings them the wonderful gift of life, it also leaves them with an unsightly scar. Often times, these scars will fade and leave just a pale, thin, flat line. But, sometimes, scars are bigger, thicker and raised and don't heal as well. While creams and oils may help a bit with a scar's appearance, there really hasn't been anything that has worked wonders. Until now...
Introducing Scarology™ Ultimate Scar Treatment System for C-Sections & Large Scars: $78.50. Dr. Michael Connor and Dr. Jeanmarie Connor are a husband and wife team with twenty years of medical expertise specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery and pediatrics. Together they have created Scarology.™ This new product is a safe and effective three-step at home scar treatment. The proprietary scar treatment system combines ingredients that have, until now, only been available in medical settings. These key ingredients have been shown to nourish the healing scar with hydration, and reduce inflammation in the scar tissue.
Scarology’s unique 3-part system can be used on any skin type and on any scar once the skin has completely healed from the initial injury. The regimen is designed to target different phases of scarring. The kit includes a gentle exfoliator, simple scar cream and self-adhesive silicone sheets to be worn at night during sleep. Changes in scar appearance have been reported as early as 3 days following initial application.
Products & Use:
Step One: Natural Fruit Acid Exfoliator: In the morning, spread a thin layer of Natural Fruit Acid Exfoliator over the healed scar and onto dry, residue-free skin. Massage into scar for 1-3 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Slow, controlled exfoliation allows removal of the unhealthy skin cells overlying the scar and stimulates the healthy surrounding tissue to replicate and replace the top layer of skin.
Step Two: Ultimate Scar Cream: Apply the Ultimate Scar Cream twice daily. Following Step 1, massage cream onto scar and leave on skin throughout the day. In the evening, apply Ultimate Scar Cream again. Scarology’s™ innovative scar cream formula contains ingredients that have been shown to reduce inflammation and hydrate all layers of the wound.
Step Three: Silicone Scar Sheet: At night, apply the self-adhesive Silicone Scar Sheet to skin. Remove sheet in the morning and store sheet with protective liner for repeated uses. The third component of the system is designed to help provide compression and nourishment to the scar throughout the night. Scarology’s ™ self adhesive silicone sheet uses advanced patented silicone technology currently used in hospitals.
For best results, it is recommended that Scarology’s™ 3-step Ultimate Scar System is used for a minimum of 3 months with continued use for as long as the scar shows signs of improvement. Older scars may require 6-12 months of continuous therapy.
Does Scarology™ Work on Old Scars?
Scars from several years ago are the most difficult to treat and most likely will not change in appearance with topical silicone or onion extract alone. However, Scarology’s™ 3 part system is different. Scarology is the only commercially available product for scars that may enhance the appearance of old scars.
Can Scarology™ be Used on Pigmented Skin?
Scarology can be used on all skin types.
The three phases of wound healing
Phase 1: Initiation
This first phase begins immediately after the injury and is completed within a few hours. During this phase, there is the formation of a blood clot. In addition, proteins in the body, called fibrin, create a matrix for reparative cells to enter the site and start the healing process.
Phase 2: Inflammatory
This phase begins soon after and new cells start to grow in order to cover the wound surface. Granulation tissue (early scar tissue) begins to form and new blood vessels start to sprout in order to nourish the reparative cells. A collagen matrix replaces the fibrin matrix and inflammatory cells enter along the wound’s new scaffold. Altering the inflammatory cells during this phase can dramatically improve the appearance of a scar.
Phase 3: Remodeling
This is the last phase of wound healing. A strong type of collagen slowly replaces the blood vessels and reparative cells. Specific cells, called myofibroblasts, remain in this collagen matrix and contract, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the size of the scar. Reparative cells continue to enter and survey the scar for months and even years after the injury, which is why scars tend to look better at 1 year than at 1 month. The wound environment changes dramatically during the course of healing and the formation and appearance of a scar is directly related to the events described above.
The History of Scarology ™
Scarology ™ was created in Palm Beach, Florida, by two physicians -- a husband and wife team: Dr. Michael Connor and Dr. Jeanmarie Connor. They have a combined twenty years of medical expertise specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery in the face and neck as well as pediatrics.
For years, patients asked them for a safe and effective at home scar treatment that could be used on both adults and children that helps fade acne scars, facial scars, burn scars, keloids, wound scars, stretch marks and more. Unfortunately neither could make a recommendation.
As physicians they knew that they needed to have more informed answers for their patients. Over the course of the next few months they extensively researched available scar creams on the market along with consuming as much data on scar treatment published in medical journals. They were surprised to find that no single scar cream examined made a significant difference at 1 year.
Seeing the emotional & physical impact scarring had on their patients, they knew there had to be a better way. They initially developed a simple scar cream formula and would recommend patients purchase self-adhesive silicone sheets along with a gentle exfoliator to improve the final appearance of a scar. All of the patients who followed this regimen were satisfied with the final appearance of their scar, without exception.
As they witnessed that the final appearance of a scar can be greatly improved with daily use of these 3 simple steps, they decided to make the system available to the world. So in 2014 the 3 step kit and Scarology™ was born.
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For more information on Scarology visit: Scarology.com. You can also visit Scarology on their social media:
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One lucky winner is going to receive the Scarology™ Ultimate Scar Treatment System for C-Sections & Large Scars to try for themselves. To enter, just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below. Open to the US only. Giveaway will end (enter date here). The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Scarology for offering this fantastic prize!
Our Thoughts
I have two recent, large scars - one on my collarbone, one right over my spine on my upper back. I didn't lose just skin, but some flesh as well, making these scars deeper than average, especially the one on my back. While I figured the collarbone one would eventually fade to almost nothing within a few years, the one on my back left a noticeable divot, as well as severe discoloration. The texture was puckered, too.
Scarology sent me the Scarology™ Ultimate Scar Treatment System for C-Sections & Large Scars to try on these two recently-healed wounds. The wounds healed over in late February of this year, and I started the Scarology system on April 30th, just a bit over two months later. I wanted to try this system to see if I could both improve my scars' appearances and reduce the irritation from clothing touching the scars.
The Scarology system consists of an exfoliator, a cream, and self-adhesive silicone sheets. Now, they recommend you apply the exfoliator to clean, dry skin - rub it in for 1 - 3 minutes (massage more if your scar is healed enough to take it the pressure), rinse it clean, then apply the cream and go about your day. At the end of the day, apply the cream again, then apply the silicone sheet, which you'll wear all night long.
I didn't do it in quite that fashion. I flipped the night/day routines because it made more sense with my schedule. I do recommend thoroughly reading every bit of printed material that comes with, and on, these products because all of that information does not appear to be available online.
Here's what you need to know about
the silicone scar sheets!
2. They recommend washing the silicone scar sheets with basic soap. What this REALLY needs to say is, wash with basic DETERGENT. (Scarology people, if you're reading this, PLEASE change the directions on your silicone scar sheets to reflect this!) Soap and detergent are two different things. Soap is oil based (made with butters/oils and a lye solution) and will break down the silicone faster than if detergent was used. At first I used exactly what they said - basic soap. Can't get more basic than cold process soap - that's what basic soap is! I found once I switched to detergent (I used the original Blue Dawn dishwashing liquid) the scar sheets lasted much longer, up to a week and a half.
3. After washing, you're supposed to store them in the little plastic box until your next wearing. They will NOT dry in there unless you leave the box open with the sheet propped up so it can get air circulation. If you put the sheets on while still damp, the silicone has a tendency to separate from the fabric, and it doesn't stick to your skin very well unless both your skin and the silicone sheets are completely dry.
4. It says on the box you're to store the sheets in, that it works best if you wear the silicone sheet for at least 12 hours at a time. Now, I don't know who sleeps for 12 hours, but it's not me. Many people don't drop into bed until the late hours, and are up and on the road early every morning. This is why I flipped the routine and wore them during the day instead, logging 14 - 16 hours wear time per day. It is perfectly okay to flip the routine. You're still doing everything in the right order, as recommended, just changing the time of day that you do the routines. Besides, I didn't care if anyone saw the scar sheets on me; I figured people would rather see that than the big red angry scars! (Not that I care what others think though about my scars, LOL!! They're simply a part of life and things that happen.)
Being as I ran out of Scarology's silicone scar sheets due to the misunderstanding over SOAP - I purchased another brand available locally. It was pretty much the same thing, only slightly thicker silicone and I found I actually liked the thicker sheets a little better.
The scar sheets are supposed to reduce itchiness - I found that on Day 1 of a new sheet, the adhesive was (of course!) the strongest, and therefore actually contributed to itchiness as it pulled on my skin. Again, this could be due to the location of my scars - you don't realize just how much you move your upper body throughout your day! I found that with the slightly thicker (different brand) silicone sheets, my scars itched less because the sheets didn't stretch as much. With all my upper body movement, the thinner Scarology sheets also formed air bubbles quite often that would then need smoothing out.
A WORD OF CAUTION: if you get a sunburn around the area of the scar (where you're wearing the silicone sheet) - DO NOT use their cream on the sunburned skin. I treated all of my sunburn except where I had applied their cream (you know how in just rubbing the cream in you get it on more skin than *just* the scar), figuring it would be good enough that all of my sunburn got covered by some sort of nourishing cream. WRONG! LOL. Where I had treated my sunburn, it faded overnight. Where I had applied their cream (slightly around the area covered by the silicone sheet during the day) I still had a very red, uncomfortable sunburn. So please be careful if you get sunburned, to only use the cream where the scar is under the silicone sheet and not on the surrounding sunburned skin.
Okay, so here we go - let's get right to the pictures! (LOL trust me, be glad I'm not sharing the wound photos prior to being healed over!)
*** I took all photos in the morning before applying any cream. ***
BEFORE: not real pretty, are they?
Part of the reason I flipped the routine and wore the silicone sheets during the day is that these scars were right where many of my shirts' tags and seams were, leading to more irritation. The silicone sheets acted as a buffer for the chafing, which greatly increased my comfort as these continued to heal.
AFTER 6 DAYS:
Scarology says you may see a difference in as little as 3 days. While I didn't see a noticeable color difference in the collar bone one, I did see a little bit of color improvement on the back one.
AFTER 1 MONTH:
Here you can see slightly more color improvement; the back one was beginning to flatten out a bit and have some textural improvement.
AFTER 2 MONTHS:
Again, more color & texture improvement. The one on my back, a good portion of the dark redness has faded to a much lighter color. LOL you can also see exactly where the silicone sheets were since I got a bit of a tan.
AFTER 3 MONTHS:
This is the minimum amount of time recommend to use the Scarology products on scars - and continue using as long as you're seeing improvement.
I did stop wearing the silicone sheets for a few days prior to taking the 3 month progression photos to see if I could even out my tan a little bit. I'm also happy to report there has been enough improvement in the scars that I can stand wearing clothes that touch the scars without them getting irritated by the clothes rubbing on them!
It's also the high heat of the summer (August!), so I'm having trouble getting the silicone sheets to stick to me throughout the day anyway thanks to the high humidity. When the season cools back down a bit, I'll continue wearing the scar sheets.
For a side to side comparison:
