The sense and nonsense of scar cream claims
Suppose you have a scar that is troubling you, or you have a scar that you do not feel good about. What are you to do? Obviously you look for the best scar cream. First you browse around the internet, then you go to a shop or you ask friends for advice. The result is that many products claim all sorts of things and you yourself wonder whether what they say is true. In this article you will read about the sense and nonsense of a number of claims about scar creams.
Good and long-lasting effects
One of the most important problems with scars can not be seen: dehydration of the skin beneath the scar. Too much water evaporation means that your scar will expand, thicken and harden, and that symptoms get worse. Symptoms include painful itching, persistent redness and pulling of a scar. A good scar cream will act to prevent dehydration. A good scar cream not only optimally re-establishes the moisture balance, but it also ensures this is long lasting.
Unfortunately, good and reliable information about effectiveness is difficult to find. The packaging of a scar cream may give, for example, no information about how “effective” the scar cream is. On the internet too it is difficult to discover whether a scar cream has a sustained effect on your scar.
Nevertheless, we advise you to focus specifically on these two points (good and long-lasting hydration). Generally you can assume the following. If a brochure or web site does not explain why the scar cream works, then there is nothing known about it. Also, you can always check whether claims are supported with references, for example, to independent research.
Would you prefer to use a scar cream that can state and demonstrate that it is effective, or would you prefer to blindly trust what is written on a web site?
Concentration of ingredients
Companies are required to list the various ingredients of a scar cream on the packaging. Unfortunately it is not always clear what amount (concentration) of each ingredient is in the scar cream. Naturally it is useful to know this, because the action of an ingredient with a low concentration will have no or little effect.
When choosing a scar product you should be aware that it is a requirement to put the ingredient of which there is most in the scar cream first in the list of ingredients. That is, the ingredient with the highest concentration must come first. To make things easier you can further expect that ingredients with lower concentrations will fall in the lower part of the list of ingredients and probably will have little effect.
Did you know that in many moisturizing products ‘water’ (aqua) is the most important ingredient? But does water do anything for your scars or symptoms?
Dermatologically tested
The sentence “This product is dermatologically tested” is a slogan that you regularly hear on radio and television. What does it really mean? Does it say anything about the effectiveness of a scar product? “Dermatologically tested” means that a product or ingredient has been tested by a dermatologist for skin reactions. For example, skin reactions can start because of specific ingredients in a scar cream. So it is sensible to test it on volunteers.
Dermatologically tested, then, says nothing about the effectiveness of a scar cream. In reality it says absolutely nothing about a scar cream. So don’t be misled by such marketing claims!
Airtight packaging
Many scar creams include antioxidants (for example vitamin E or vitamin C). Antioxidants react with oxygen so that over time they become less effective. When you buy a scar cream, check whether the packaging is airtight; for example sealed with foil. This guarantees that your scar cream is still effective when you buy it.
Irritants
Try to avoid unnecessary and irritant substances, such as perfume. A nicely scented scar cream does not make for a better and more attractive scar. Rather it causes more skin irritation.
Look into the ingredients of a scar cream
Even if specific ingredients are shown to have a positive effect on scars, it does not mean that a scar cream with the same ingredients has the same effect. The effect of a scar cream always depends on the product as a whole. What are the other ingredients and how much is there of each? The only way to find out if a scar cream works is to do research, and the best kind of research is scientific research. If research has been done on the effects of a scar cream then this will be set out on the website or in a brochure. Of course, if you are in doubt you can always phone the help desk.
ALHYDRAN scar cream
ALHYDRAN is a scientifically proven scar cream. The scar cream has a good, long-lasting effect. ALHYDRAN has a high concentration of Aloe Vera. With over 55% of Aloe Vera, ALHYDRAN has the highest concentration that a product can have. Not a powder concentrate, but pure Aloe Vera. ALHYDRAN contains no perfume, and before opening is in an airtight package so that antioxidant action is maximised.
