To date,
silicone gel and
silicone occlusive plates are the most useful and effective treatment options for
hypertrophic scars (surgical and traumatic). Use of
silicone sheeting has also been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of minor
keloids in association with
corticosteroid intralesional infiltration. In our practice, we encountered four problems: maceration, rashes,
pruritus and
infection. Not all patients are able to tolerate the cushion, especially children, and certain anatomical regions as the face and the upper chest are not easy to dress for obvious social, psychological and aesthetic reasons. In other anatomical regions, it is also difficult to obtain adequate compression and occlusion of the
scar. To overcome such problems of applying
silicone gel sheeting, we tested the use of liquid
silicone gel (LSG) in the treatment of 18 linear
hypertrophic scars (HS group) and 12 minor
keloids (KS group) as an alternative to
silicone gel sheeting or cushion. Objective parameters (volume, thickness and colour) and subjective symptoms such as
pain and
pruritus were examined. Evaluations were made when the
therapy started and after 30, 90 and 180 days of follow-up. After 90 days of treatment with
silicone gel alone (two applications daily), HS group showed a significant improvement in terms of volume decrease, reduced
inflammation and redness and improved elasticity. In conclusion, on the basis of our clinical data, we find LSG to be a useful method to overcome the difficulties of applying
silicone gel sheeting on irregular surface.