One of the most common reasons a silicone scar treatment disappoints is that it was stopped after two weeks. Scars change on the timescale of collagen remodelling, which is months, and a topical product works with that timescale rather than around it. Knowing the real number before you start makes it far more likely you finish the course instead of abandoning it.
What the studies ran for
The published trials give a clear picture of the commitment involved:
- An open-label trial of an advanced-formula silicone gel (Medhi 2013, 36 patients, no control group): twice daily for three months, with improvements in scar height, pigmentation, vascularity and pliability over that period.
- A single-arm observational study (Goldberg 2016, 15 patients): twelve weeks, with Vancouver Scar Scale and Observer Scar Assessment Scale scores improving at each visit. Individual parameters moved at different speeds — pliability and height from around 28 days, vascularity from 56, pigmentation from 84.
- A comparative case series on facial surgical scars (Yun 2013): from suture removal to six months after the operation.
All three are on the clinical evidence page, with their limitations.
Nothing there is a two-week protocol. And note the last point in the second study: pigmentation was the slowest parameter to move. If colour is what bothers you most, you are on the longest of the timelines, not the shortest.
A realistic plan
New scars, from the point the wound has closed: two to three months, two to three times a day, then reassess.
Older, raised or stubborn scars: three months minimum, often longer. Mature tissue changes more slowly, and a keloid may also need medical treatment.
Reassessing means comparing against a photograph, not a memory. Take one in the same light on day one and again every month. Gradual change is invisible day to day and obvious in a side-by-side.
Consistency beats intensity
A thin layer, two to three times a day, every day. Applying more gel does not accelerate anything — the film works by covering the scar, and a thick layer just takes longer to dry and wastes product. What does matter is not skipping days, because the mechanism is sustained occlusion, and occlusion that is on four days out of seven is not sustained.
Things that help a habit survive three months:
- Attach it to something you already do. Next to your toothbrush, not in a drawer. Morning and evening at least, tied to brushing your teeth.
- Keep the tube visible. A scar product in a cupboard is a scar product you will forget by week three.
- Give it drying time. A few minutes before you dress. If you are always rushing, apply before you get dressed rather than after.
- Expect nothing in week one. Anticipating no visible change early stops the "this isn't working" thought that ends most courses.
When to stop
Stop when the scar has settled and a month of further use changes nothing. Stop and seek advice if you get persistent irritation, a rash, swelling or itching you did not have before, or if pain or burning continues rather than settling after the first few uses.
If a full course has produced nothing at all, that is worth a conversation with a doctor or pharmacist before you buy another tube.
The application guide has the routine step by step.