Good or Excellent Response
13%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Moderate Response
49%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Side Effects
Low
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist or plastic surgeon? Make an appointment to get this procedure done. Don't have a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find a dermatologist or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to find a plastic surgeon. Topical Treatments are also available over-the-counter.
Used Topical Treatments? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
June 5, 2010
Product used: MaMa (Lotion)
Cons:
odd odor, doesn't layer well, sticky if you use too much
I used M2 (the modern version of MaMa Lotion) to treat my melasma, which I have had for about two years. I have dry, sensitive, extremely fair skin. I used M2 for 14 weeks, applying twice weekly for two weeks (per instructions), then every other day or every day afterward. Occasionally, I applied in the morning and evening (for bad acne phases), but generally applied once a day in the evening before bed. I observed a lightening of pigmentation and some minor reduction of redness on two small patches of skin on either side of my nose within the first two weeks of use (this did not change beyond the 2nd week of use). At weeks 7 and 8, the melasma appeared to lighten, but this was not observed beyond week 8, and even appeared to return to its previous state. At the end of 14 weeks, I saw no further improvement and stopped use. Irritation with M2 was mild, usually a slight stinging and minor redness until acclimation (within the first 2 weeks). Peeling was very superficial and not bothersome. After over three months of use, M2 did not have an observable effect on my melasma, but it did work well on my acne, and I keep the bottle around to use as a spot treatment.
May 26, 2010
Product used: Emu Oil
Pros:
Inexpensive, fades red/ dark marks some
Cons:
Will only work to a certain extent, in my case, a few weeks
It's inexpensive and maybe if you have really light scarring this could help you, but otherwise it only works for a couple weeks and then you will not see any improvement beyond that. Also, I have not had any breakouts from it.
March 29, 2010
Product used: Emu Oil
Pros:
Helped reduce redness temporarily but after a week or two the effects seemed to stop
Cons:
I know im stating the obvious but the product is very oily and can clog pores and cause breakouts, also can only be applied at home.
The product I used was from a local health store, the bottle was small and i went through two in around 2 and a half months. At first I was seing results, I would apply the oil after I'd showered in the evening, that way my face wouldn't be too oily by time i went to bed. After around a week and a half the positive effects got less noticeable and the redness was back. This product will not heal scars but simply make them appear reduced for a period of time. Overall it didnt work great for me, it may be worth a try for others. I certainly wouldnt recommend this until yur acne has cleared up due to the oilyness of the product. I will put the recommended at No due to personnel results but it may be worth a try for people out there who want the skin to look temporarily smoother and less red.
November 28, 2009
Product used: Mederma (Advanced Scar Gel)
Pros:
none for me.
Cons:
this stuff dried my skin out so harshly it hurt. i do have dry skin to begin with.
i did not see any improvement in old scars and new scars formed thickened skin, which is something i have never experienced before. i do not recommend this to people with dry skin.
November 18, 2009
Product used: Bio-Oil (Skincare Oil)
Pros:
Lasts a long time, easy to get hold of, good as a moisturizer
Cons:
Takes a long time to work and increases the severity of acne due to how oily it is
I think it's good as a moisturizer or on stretchmarks but I wouldn't recomend as a scar treatment whilst acne is a still a problem. It clog's pores and made my spots so much worse. I'm finishing off the bottle by using it on my hands and arms but I won't be buiyng it again.
October 10, 2009
Product used: Mother of Pearl (Anti-Scar Cream)
Pros:
its ok
Cons:
expensive
I've had 3 knee surgeries, the first of which was in 2002 from a doctor who really didn't know what he was doing. As a result, I got this huge scar on my knee with 13 little raised scars from the stitches, that I call my football laces. I'm Asian, so I get keloid scars and eventually I just stopped caring about it since I didn't think there was anything I could do about it. I had another surgery in 2006 where the doctor removed my old scar (still had the laces), and I again did nothing. My scar started out as thin and much prettier, but because I didn't take care of it, it eventually spread because of the stretching of the skin while my knee bent. Third surgery was in January of this year, the doctor removed my scar again and kept the laces, but this time, I've decided to take care of this scar. I started using the Dr. Max Powers Scar Cream (from [link removed]) 4 times a day 5 days ago and I all ready see a HUGE difference! My raised laces have smoothed ou
October 7, 2009
Product used: Mederma (Advanced Scar Gel)
Pros:
ease of use
Cons:
It doesn't work, I don't like the smell.
I don't like it.
October 7, 2009
Product used: Bio-Oil (Skincare Oil)
Pros:
used to be okay when i didnt have acne. good for dry skin
Cons:
spots everywhere after i used it at night a family of spots moved in on my cheeks, chin =(
I used to use bio oil when i did'nt have acne just for the sakes of for smoother and soft skin it was okay. i started to get break outs when i was 21 on my forehead only sometimes little sometimes alot. So with acne you will get some scaring. So I used bio oil at night before bed to try get rid of some scarring. Wow the next day I had spots everywhere on my face. I cried when i saw my face cause I could'nt believe how bad it went just by using it for one night. Since then I have been trying to control the acne and not having any luck. Now its not just the forehead its the cheeks and chin, it's so painful. Maybe it triggered something in my skin after using it to cause so much acne I'm not too sure but since that night I havent ever dared touch it again. I done this at 21, I'm almost 24 now and still trying to find the right thing to control the acne.
September 1, 2009
Product used: Emu Oil
Pros:
fades burn marks
Cons:
irritated my face and made me break out
I mixed this with shea butter (shea butter works great for me) and decided to use it on my face and body. While this worked great on my body and faded burn marks that I had for over 25 years (I can hardly see them), this irritated my face. It made my face itchy and acne began to appear. When I stopped using the emu oil on my face, my face cleared up. I will continue to use it on my body though and highly recommend it for that.
August 29, 2009
Product used: Mederma (Advanced Scar Gel)
Pros:
It might help eliminate scars.
Cons:
It made me itch like CRAZY. Don't use it on your cheeks!
I read all these amazing reviews on acne.org, so I was excited when I bought my Mederma. I also read the warnings about the itchings but I thought I'd give it a go. The first application, it didn't itch at all, and I was glad. I used it about three times (in a two day period) and as I continued use, my cheeks became so itchy!!! It felt like my mind was losing it becuase it itched so bad so I scrubbed it all off with water, and the itching calmed down after 10 minutes. It did seem to work a bit, but the itching is not worth it. Bottom line, I wouldn't use it for the face. I'm only using it for the scars on my legs, and it seems to work.
Pros:
very minor irritation for an acid