Aesthetic procedures are unusual because many are treatments of choice rather than need. Whilst directed at enhancing appearance, the interventions are, often, at the cutting edge of science, where practitioners strive to improve techniques and results. However, the perception of treatments and results is different for the patient. They want to enhance their appearance, but they want to minimise scars. For them, the difference between a good and a poor result can be down to the quality of scars produced; something often outside the influence of even the most gifted surgeons.
Wound healing after any form of dermal injury inevitably leads to scar formation. It is an imperfect process, an evolutionary compromise made to restore tissue integrity quickly, preventing infection at the expense of appearance. Scars appear a different colour to the surrounding skin and can be flat, stretched, depressed, or raised. Some result in significant psychosocial impact on patients and their quality of life.
Since the quality of scarring is so important, it seems strange that so few scientifically proven treatments are available to improve their appearance. Many over-the-counter remedies are available but there is limited clinical evidence to support the efficacy of most of them. Once a wound is closed, the body naturally enters into an inflammatory phase. The skin can become dry, itchy and uncomfortable. Whilst these current treatments may offer temporary relief from this phase, they tend to be inert formulations that sit on the upper layer of the skin, acting as a barrier. Often, they contain no active ingredients and instead work by trapping moisture.
To alter wound healing, any topical treatment requires active ingredients that are absorbed through the skin and which can modify the healing process at a cellular level.
As an experienced plastic surgeon, Douglas McGeorge engaged with one of the leading scientists on wound healing, initiating cutting-edge research into active treatments for scars. The culmination of that research is an understanding of several compounds that alter the body’s response to scarring. In particular, there are several naturally active green tea extracts, which were shown to be absorbed and alter the inflammatory response of healing. These have been combined, with other naturally active ingredients, (anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories), to produce a new way of treating scars, “Solution for Scars™” and “Solution for Stretch Marks™”. These are the first commercially available topical treatments, scientifically shown to cross the skin barrier and modify the inflammatory response that leads to abnormal scarring. The skin is allowed to heal without interruption from constant itching and inflammation, resulting in a smoother, less visible scar.
Dedicated to introducing proper scientific research into improving wound healing, this scientific research has been backed up by proper, double-blinded, randomised, clinical trials on Solution for Scars™. The results of these trials confirm that the actives significantly reduced scar thickness, significantly reduced redness and significantly improved pliability and hydration of the scar.
Importantly, science has shown that further significant improvement, of all these parameters, occurs if the cream is used for seven days in advance of surgery. This is groundbreaking. Patients can now treat their skin, in advance of planned surgery,
knowing that, in doing so, they will get a better scar outcome.
Solution for Scars™ is used for all wounds ranging from post-surgery to common day-to-day accidental cuts. In trauma, it is applied as soon as the wound is closed and is absorbed through the skin, enhancing the skin’s cellular function, in both the upper and deeper dermis, acting on keratinocytes as well as fibroblasts, the cells that play an important role in tissue repair. Importantly, it alters mast cells, the cells that are responsible for releasing histamine, responsible for many of the symptoms of inflammation.
This promotion of early intervention is proven to change the course of the healing process, an exciting new concept that has not been contemplated previously. The research has broken the mould when it comes to effective skincare treatments. Solution for Scars™ works completely differently and far more effectively than the existing products on the market. It is designed to alter the healing process, for the benefit of patients. Proper scientific research underpins its development. We are a long way from achieving the holy grail of scar-free healing, but Solution for Scars™ marks a new milestone in manipulating the way scars heal. It will, hopefully, provide a springboard for further research into new ways of controlling poor scarring.