Improving The Appearance Of Scars

Bio Oil also works as an effective scar treatment that helps improve the appearance of all scar types. It is highly effective in helping to maintain the elasticity of scar tissue on joints and other high-mobility areas.

How to Treat Scars with Bio-Oil?

Application for scar treatment: For old scars, massage Bio-Oil in a circular motion on the scar and surrounding skin area, twice a day, for a minimum of 3 months. On younger scars, Bio-Oil should be applied only once the wound has healed, and should never be used on broken skin. Younger scars have a better chance of improvement within a shorter period of time, nonetheless, older scars will also benefit from the regular use of Bio-Oil.

Scars are necessary for injured skin to heal. They develop from an imbalance in the production of collagen at the wound site. Scars undergo numerous changes as they develop, but they are permanent.

Bio-Oil is specifically formulated to help improve the appearance of scars, but will never remove them.

How do Scars Develop?

The development of a scar has 4 phases:

1. Haemostatic phase-This first phase begins instantly after injury and lasts a few hours, as the affected skin attempts to restore its normal state by restricting blood vessels to control bleeding. The injured cells release thromboplastin, which activates clotting and allows the healing process to begin.
2. Inflammatory phase- This is where there is visible skin redness & swelling that appears for 3 or 4 days. It is a visible indicator of the body's immune response as white blood cells cleanse the wound of any debris and/or bacteria.
3. Proliferative phase- Important phase. This begins around day 3 and continues for about 3 weeks. Here three different processes occur at the same time to close and bind the wound. Granulization - cells called fibroblasts create collagen to fill the wound. Ephithelialization - a layer of skin is provided to cover the wound. Wound contraction is the wound is pulled together in an attempt to minimise the defect
4. Maturation phase- This ‘remodelling' phase begins around day 21 and may continue for approximately 2 years. Collagen fibres are re-arranged according to the stresses placed on the area, determining the final nature of the scar. Scar tissue generally exhibits only 70-80% of the tensile strength of normal skin.

Does Bio-Oil Work for Scars?

Bio-Oil products have been put through rigorously clinical and dermatological testing.

In a study conducted by the Dermatology Department of Peking University First Hospital, they performed a clinical study with 44 subjects on the effectiveness of Bio-Oil on acne scarring.

This saw 84% of participants experiencing improvement with their scars. (1)A similar study by the proDerm Institute for Applied Dermatological Research in Hamburg, Germany found positive results. It was conducted on 36 female participants across a period of 12 weeks. After only 8 weeks (57 days) 92% of subjects saw an improvement with their scars. (2)

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This article has been medically approved by Superintendent Pharmacist Shilpa Shailen Karia, MRPharmS. - GPhC Reg No: 2087328

Sources:

1. Bio-Oil Professional - Clinical Research
2. Bio-Oil - Clinical Trials - Scar Study 2010