Silagen is a “scar refinement system” that uses silicone gel to reduce the appearance of scars. Find out whether or not Silagen really works today in our review.
What is Silagen?
Silagen is a scar treatment system marketed towards people with hypertrophic scars, post-surgery scars, post-laser scars, or keloids. By applying the serum to your skin, you can purportedly reduce the appearance of scars.
The three part system includes a silicone gel (with SPF protection), a medical-grade silicone formula, and a silicone gel sheeting formula. Obviously, silicone is the active ingredient in all of these gels.
Silagen is not actually available directly to consumers. Instead, you need to contact your physician or find a Silagen-stocked office near you.
Obviously, Silagen is not the only silicone-based scar treatment gel on the market. So what makes Silagen a superior choice? Let’s take a closer look at how it works.
How Does Silagen Work?
Silagen’s official website goes into detail describing the “current theory” of why silicone works to alleviate the effects of scarring. In other words, none of us know for sure why silicone alleviates the effects of scarring. However, the theory is that it works like this:
-Scar tissue exhibits excessive trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) for up to one year post-wound healing
-This abnormally high level of water evaporation stimulates keratinocytes to produce cytokines, which then signal the activation of fibroblasts to synthesize collagen. This sends a flood of collagen to the surface of your skin.
-Left unchecked, excessive collagen production can lead to abnormal scarring.
-When you apply silicone over the scar, it occludes and hydrates the stratum corneum, down-regulating keratinocyte stimulation and preventing further signaling to produce more collagen. After 2 to 3 months of silicone treatmnent, collagen is normalized and hypertrophic scarring is prevented.
Basically, your body has a cycle when it recovers from a wound: the body detects the wound and detects that your skin needs to be healed. So it sends a lot of collagen (skin protein) to the area. This buildup of collagen leads to scarring. By applying silicone during the wound healing process, you’re breaking up the signaling pathway. Silicone hydrates one of the key parts of that signaling pathway. When your body realizes this part is well-hydrated, it will no longer send collagen to the targeted area of your skin.
Silagen Products
There are three parts of the Silagen formula. You can use these products in conjunction, or individually. The three products include:
Silicone Gel + SPF 30
Designed for day use, this gel uses medical grade silicone mixed with zinc oxide. It doesn’t use a chemical-based sunscreen. It’s designed to help prevent UV-induced scar hyperpigmentation and is ideal for scarring on the face, neck, chest, arms, hands, and other visible areas.
100% Pure Silicone Gel
This medical grade silicone dries more quickly than other silicone gels and has a “soft silky feel preferred by 98% of physicians surveyed”. There are no additional ingredients that can potentially irritate your skin.
Silicone Gel Sheeting
This gel comes in 12 shapes and sizes and 2 backing options: clear and beige. It uses advanced adhesion technology and a 1mm thickness. They’re washable and reusable up to 4 weeks, and storage trays are included.
Does It Actually Work?
Silagen and other silicone-gels are typically prescribed to patients after they complete a cosmetic surgery. This page on RealSelf.com highlights multiple doctors who recommend using silicone gels (either Silagen or a gel that’s similar).
Sheila S. Nazarian, MD, for example, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, states that “silicone sheeting has definitely been proven effective in reducing scars.”
Hunter Moyer, MD, an Atlanta plastic surgeon, reports that “after much research into this topic, I have decided to give my patients a similar silicone gel product for scar management after surgery.”
Dr. Moyer specifically talked about how competing scar treatment products use natural extracts and vitamins – like vitamin E, onion skin extract, steroids, aloe, and other compounds. He said that these products have shown some promise in the laboratory – but have failed to live up to real world expectations. Some steroid-based creams, for example, have been shown to alleviate scarring – but they also thin the skin and weaken the incision.
Finally, Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD, another Atlanta plastic surgeon, stated that the best treatment to get a good result after a breast lift is to leave the incision alone while protecting it from irritation – like from clothing, scratching, or UV light. He believes that soap and water with a good moisturizer is sufficient.
Who Makes Silagen?
Silagen is made by a company named NewMedical Technology, Inc. That company is based at the following address:
310 Era Drive
Northbrook, IL 60062
You can contact the company by phone at 866-639-6331 or by email at [email protected].
NewMedical Technology is known for creating another silicone-based skin cream called NewGel+. Like Silagen, NewGel+ is designed specifically to reduce, flatten, and fade away scar tissue.
NewMedical Technology was founded in 2003. In 2011, the company was honored with the State of Illinois Exporter of the Year Award. You can learn more about the company at their LinkedIn page here.
Should You Use Silagen to Treat Scarring?
Silagen is available only through your doctor. Typically, cosmetic surgeons will recommend the use of Silagen or other silicone-based gels post-treatment. However, silicone-based gels aren’t used by all doctors, nor are they appropriate for all parts of the body. Your best option is to talk to your doctor to find out if Silagen is appropriate for your unique situation and surgery recovery process.
