Immediately after treatment:
- Depending on the type of topical treatment, the skin may become slightly red after application of the treatment. Some products may irritate the skin, which may make the skin more sensitive to the sun. Therefore, some product labels may include a recommendation to avoid sun exposure and to wear sunscreen.
- Read the product label and instructions carefully and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Days and weeks after treatment:
- As long as you continue to use the product, keep following the manufacturer’s instructions, such as using sunscreen if directed to do so on the product label.
Longer term:
- There is no long-term recovery process for topical scar treatments.
References
- Morganroth P, Wilmot AC, and Miller C. Over-the-counter scar products for postsurgical patients: disparities between online advertised benefits and evidence regarding efficacy. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 61(6), e31-47 (2009).
- Levy LL, and Zeichner JA. Management of acne scarring, part II. A comparative review of non-laser-based, minimally invasive approaches. Am J Clin Dermatol. 13(5), 331-340 (2012).
- Stoddard MA, Herrmann J, Moy L, and Moy R. Improvement of Atrophic Acne Scars in Skin of Color Using Topical Synthetic Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Serum: A Pilot Study. Journal of drugs in dermatology: JDD. 16(4), 322 (2017).