KELO-COTE Silicone Scar Gel, 15g

Product Information

Kelo-Cote is a very affordable silicone gel made by UK-based Alliance Pharma Plc that has shown strong clinical evidence for scar treatment while Mederma is a very popular and affordable onion extract gel made by German manufacturer Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH that has shown mixed clinical evidence for scar treatment. According to the 2014 International Clinical Recommendations on Scar Management (Part 2), a highly influential research paper authored by the world's leading experts on scar treatment, there's conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of onion extract for scars. AM | PM: Kelo-cote is effective 24 hours a day with twice daily application. Treatment duration will vary from person to person and from scar to scar. Individual results will vary. Recommended duration of treatment is 60-90 days. EFFECTIVE SCAR PREVENTION: >80% of patients rated Kelo-cote's patented technology effectiveness as good/very good on a wide range of scars. Sepehrmanesh M, Komp Dermatologie 2006;1:30-32 That's because Sinclair Pharma Plc originally acquired the non-US distribution rights from Advanced Bio-Technologies in 2011, and a few years later, Alliance Pharma Plc acquired the healthcare business of Sinclair in 2015, including its Kelo-Cote distribution rights.

According to Alliance Pharma, the effectiveness of Kelo-Cote for scar management has been demonstrated in 10 clinical trials as well. Once you are ready to apply the Kelo-Cote (wound is closed and stitches removed), apply a thin layer on the scar twice daily. It self-dries within 5 minutes so you don’t have to rub it into your skin. The recommended treatment duration is 60-90 days. Bottom Line

How quickly does Kelo-Cote Scar Gel work?

Before I provide you the answer, let me first tell you that I've personally used Mederma for 6+ months, reviewed the original clinical study in 2012 by Dr. Draelos, and consulted the medical literature on scar treatment. Kelo-Cote is effective at reducing the appearance of different types of scars that are less than 4 years old: Kelo-Cote is most effective on new or immature scars up to 2 years old. Right now there is no evidence on using Kelo-cote for older scars (over 2 years old). Is Silicone Gel Safe?

Mustoe, T.A. (2008). Evolution of silicone therapy and mechanism of action in scar management. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 32(1), 82-92. Monstrey S et al. Updated scar management practical guidelines: non-invasive and invasive measures. J Plast Reconstr Aesth Surg. 2014;67:1017-1025. Other studies found that onion extract was no better than similar topical treatments but resulted in more frequent side effects (itchiness, redness) that caused patients to stop using it. (source: International Wound Journal, 2021) Fine-line scars: These pink or red lines are the result of a cut or an incision, and typically take up to 2 years to fade. KELO-COTE® UV Scar Gel self-dries to a waterproof, gas permeable membrane that acts like an extra layer of skin. The silicone scar gels helps to soften, flatten and smooth the scars, while maintaining the moisture balance and elasticity of the adjacent skin. It has also been shown to reduce the discolouration and itching associated with scars.

How to use Kelo-Cote Scar Gel

My Verdict: Taking into account the key ingredients, clinical studies, and my own experience, I recommend Mederma Advanced Scar Gel for low risk scars as the medical evidence is mixed. Mederma may help minimize scars from minor injuries and accelerate the recovery process. Scars are a natural part of life, and there’s nothing that says you can’t have a scar—or five. But some scars are more noticeable than others. If you have a mark on your skin and it bothers you, it makes sense to want to try one of the best scar creams to try to clear it up. For example, people with a family history of keloids are more likely to develop keloids themselves (1/3 of people with keloids have a first-degree relative with keloids). In addition, many studies used multiple active ingredients in their formulations which made it more difficult to isolate the effects of onion extract. (source: Dermatologic Surgery, 2014)

In any case, I personally didn't see a tremendous improvement in scar appearance, however, my hypertrophic scars and keloids are very mature (5+ years) and occur in high-risk areas like the presternum (upper chest) which are notoriously less responsive to topical treatments.Scar Contractures - Most common after a burn. The skin contracts causing tightness that can restrict movement around the scar. Adalyser sets this cookie to determine whether there is an active session and which conversions have taken place in this session to prevent duplicates, stores a list of events in this session. Finally, here's my personal opinion of Mederma Advanced Scar Gel based on 6+ months of using it on my chest keloids: Based on my independent research, Kelo-Cote is currently distributed by Enaltus LLC in the US and Alliance Pharma Plc in non-US markets including Europe and the Asia-Pacific.