Which is more effective: Embrace scar silicone strips or the silicone scar gel twice a day? (Photo)

Hello and thank you for your questions and your photos. In our practice we utilized both of these therapies. We have had very good success with embrace, however some people will have  reactions to it and it also tends to be a little bit more expensive. We also like skin silicone scar creams and recommend those to our patients if they are not interested in embrace. We will also consider topical steroid creams and or injections if needed at a later date. You should discuss all of this with your treating surgeon. Best of luck.

Embrace is the best scar therapy I have ever worked with in 20 years. I cannot recommend anything else knowing how well this product works. I suggest you see for yourself on my photo galleries for breast augmentation, breast lift, and tummy tuck in the link below. 

This is a good question. In my opinion Embrace is the best. I recommend Embrace to all my tummy tuck patients. Those who use it have the best scar recovery. Embrace keeps the tension of the incision for the best healing. Good luck to you!

I recommend silicone scar care products for all of our patients who undergo a mommy makeover.  Application of the product daily begins at 4-5 weeks post-op. Silicone products are available in gel form, solid stick (such as Prosil), and as strips (embrace).  All are effective in post-operative scar care.  The silicone strips have the advantage of adding a bit of pressure, and I find them more effective for treating raised (hypertrophic) scars. The strips are a bit more work as they have to be applied and kept in place. For our patients who appear to be forming raised scars, I most frequently recommend using the gel or solid stick during the day and the strips at night.Best regards,Andrew Lyos, MD, FACS

I don't think there are any really good studies about whether sheeting or gel work better. I would go with what your plastic surgeon recommends and expect that either of these two possibilities would have similar results.

Dear MommyInNeed,every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. Scarring will also depend on the surgical technique and wound closure technique. We specialize in minimal scars. Its starts with a peri-areolar incision that hides the scar at the border of the areola. Next, I close my incisions in 5 layers and take stitches out week one and week two.  I don't recommend absorbable sutures because they cause inflammation that worsens scars. Then we tape your incisions once a week for 6 weeks. Lastly we start you on a 3 month topical scar management protocol with a scar gel thats FDA approved. Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Your best allies for the best scar are good genetics and time.   Either of those items is fine or at least, not harmful.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

I've not found the tape of gel to be all that helpful.  But, what does make a big difference is the technique use to close the wound:1.  No tension2.  2-3 layer closure to protect the woundIn addition, we begin scar therapy at 2 weeks post op.  This involves instructing the patients in how to massage the incision 3x a day with a cream that I have compounded by a pharmacy.  The mechanical action of the massaging is the most important aspect of healing as the tissue is actively remodeling and the massage will influence this process and aid in laying down aligned collagen.In good health,Ellen Mahony, MD

Both are good approaches for scar minimization but Embrace costs CONSIDERABLY MORE, as in, hundreds of dollars for treatment, as it is a system designed to reduce tension on the incision as it heals into a scar. The biggest cause of widening scars in mommy makeover surgery is tension - your C-section scar was closed essentially with NO tension because no skin was removed. By that criterion, Embrace is more targeted to reducing the root cause of widened scars. However, as it is a new technology (a friend of mine from residency invented it), it is understandably costly in these early years. Silicone gel sheeting is usually enough for most patients, but Embrace is pretty widely available and if you are willing to pay a little extra for your procedure, you may be very happy with the added investment. However, some patients can get reactions to the adhesive, so nothing is without risk. Of course, no technology should promise you "scarless" healing, at least based on our current science.

Embrace is unlike silicone gel strips because its "spring loaded" tension design, offloads tension on the healing scar and facilitates its maturation (i.e. decreases time to become flat, narrow, white & less symptomatic).  However its efficacy is counteracted by patient's individual skin reactivity.  Some will develop blisters from the adhesive, others will develop skin maceration (heat rash) and will opt out of the treatment program.  Our default position is BioCorneum (topical silicone gel & sunscreen), which should be applied sparingly, twice daily.  Time to maturation is slightly longer with the latter.  Ultimately scar quality depends on patient factors (i.e. prior history of unfavorable scarring), surgeon technique and post-op wound healing.