Moisturizers tested to find best for scar management

Medical Xpress / University of Adelaide / Burns ^ | Oct. 3, 2025 | Rhiannon Koch / Tanja Klotz et al

[ConservativeMind]

Not all moisturizers are equal when it comes to scar management, according to new research.

Tanja Klotz researches the effects generic moisturizers have on hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) for people with active, linear, widespread or keloid scarring.

Normally, water passively evaporates from the skin's surface, but when the skin barrier is impaired by factors like harsh skincare, environmental damage, wounds or scars, the water loss increases, leading to dehydration and increased scar activity.

Eight common moisturizing products were tested on normal skin in a scar model, with the findings published in the journal Burns.

"We tell recovering patients about the importance of massage, moisturizing and using pressure garments—there are evidence-based guidelines around best practice for massage and compression, but moisturizer is something that remains up to each clinician.

"We found that there was significant variability in the effectiveness of common moisturizers clinicians recommend for scar management.

"Silicone gel sheets are widely used to manage scars and are made of a soft, flexible silicone material which is designed to provide a barrier against TEWL.

"We were surprised that the gel sheets had a high hydration level, but also recorded a high TEWL due to all the hydration evaporating on removal, while a liquid silicone gel performed poorly for improving hydration and reducing TEWL."

Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream ranked the best, while Redwin Sorbolene cream was third best.

"Eucerin efficacy in increasing hydration can be attributed not only to its formulation as an oil-in-water emulsion but also to the presence of glycerin and urea as the primary active ingredients after water," says Miss Klotz.

"In contrast, the products with the lowest hydration efficacy were Alhydran, Strataderm (a gel silicone) and BioOil, which were the most expensive, and they all—besides Alhydran—showed limited ability to normalize TEWL.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS:

[ConservativeMind]

Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream was found better at helping scar management than all other tested items, including silicone gel sheets.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Mozzafiato]

Pure Emu Oil is the best at scar and wound management

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

And it is relatively cheap.

My skin is weird in that I don't have long lasting scars. Yeah, I get them for while but by year four they have vanished.

And that includes surgery scars. The only place they persisted longer was on my knee but even there that are almost unnoticeable.

[glorgau]

Hydrocolloid dressings do the trick for me. I get regular road rash from crashes on the bicycle. Cuts down on the scarring and heals quicker.

[Veto!]

Fortunately, I have no scars or wounds that need repair.

I do subscribe to Environmental Working Group that tests foods, water, and cosmetics for chemical pollution. A top-rated cosmetic company is Andalu Naturals. I buy their body lotion, face wash, night cream, all available at AMZ and Natural Grocer, probably other rretail outlets too.

Gave a lot of this to my daughter for her birthday and she likes it too.

[thinden]

Thx for the post

[Salvavida]

DMSO. Your welcome.

[Mogger]

Balm of Gilead.

You can make your own.

[Maudeen]

Silver Biotics Patented Multivalent SilverSol Technology | Ag₄O₄ 20 ppm Healing & Soothing Gel | Great for Healing Skin from Scars, Burns, Wounds, Blemishes & More

[TXBlair]

Thanks for posting this; I have just added Eucerin to my grocery list!

[exDemMom]

I am not at all convinced that any of these products have any effect on scars.

I had surgery at the age of 13. The scar is mild, but still there.

I broke my arm and needed surgery in 2010. The scar is pretty evident, and nothing I have done seems to affect it.

I had another surgery in 2024. I haven’t done anything, but that scar is almost invisible.

My cat scratched me in the 1990s. That scar is more apparent than some of my surgical scars.

I find no evidence that scars can become less visible as a result of treatments.

This is all anecdotal. I have no actual evidence.

[neverevergiveup]

This is all anecdotal. I have no actual evidence.

In this day and age that probably qualifies you as an expert! You could probably testify before Congress. LOL..

[Cowgirl of Justice]

I don’t have the skin type for keloids but had a 3 inch one after a back surgery. I ran a microneedler (picked up from Amazon) very gently over it just once and two weeks later, it was GONE. I had a very noticeable burn on my upper thigh and used it several times and now you can’t see anything but a very faint pink where the 2nd degree burn scar was.

[Chickensoup]

I have used the euciren advanced repair skin balm. Works very well. Has consistency a bit like petroleum jelly.

[Chickensoup]

My daughter had huge keloids on her ears. Took her to a dermis who micro needled her they disappeared and never returned afaik

[Cowgirl of Justice]

I think I paid less than $10 for my micro needler. The key is to use it VERY gently, just over the top of the skin.

[daniel1212]

At 10.38 $0.65 per ounce($0.65 / ounce)

[GingisK]

I found that most scars aren’t noticeable once you put on some age.

[KittyKares]

A top-rated cosmetic company is Andalu Naturals.
_________________________________________________________

Good tip! But it doesn’t look to me like they sell make up. Do you happen to know a brand that sells cosmetics like eye shadow, foundation, rouge, etc., that isn’t loading your skin with chemicals?