Scarless vs Dermatix Ultra: silicone scar gel comparison

Quick comparison

The differences that matter most

1. 1

   Formula: a similar base, different detail. Both combine silicones with a vitamin C ester. Scarless also lists squalane, an emollient, and isopropyl myristate. These are differences in what each lists, not evidence that either works better.

2. 2

   How much each discloses. Scarless publishes its full INCI ingredient list, including the exact vitamin C derivative. Dermatix Ultra's German instructions for use describe ingredient groups (cyclic and polymeric siloxanes and a vitamin C ester) and do not name the exact compound. An ingredient that is not listed there is not necessarily absent; it is simply not disclosed.

3. 3

   Daily routine. Dermatix Ultra is applied twice a day: a small amount on clean, dry skin, with any excess wiped off, for at least two months. Scarless is applied two to three times a day as a thin layer rubbed in until it dries, for two to three months. Once dry, make-up can go over either; Scarless can also be covered with sunscreen, which Dermatix Ultra's German instructions do not mention.

Application and daily routine

Each manufacturer's own instructions, side by side:

• How to apply. Scarless: squeeze out a small amount, spread a thin layer over the scar and rub in gently until it dries. Dermatix Ultra, according to its German instructions for use: clean the area and pat it dry, gently apply a small amount to the scar, and wipe off any excess gel with a lint-free cloth so that it does not mark clothing.
• How often. Scarless: two to three times a day. Dermatix Ultra: twice daily.
• How long. Scarless: two to three months, and longer for established scars. Dermatix Ultra: at least two months, and longer for scars that are difficult to treat.
• Day to day. With Dermatix Ultra, that means two applications a day on clean, dry skin, wiping off any excess so that it does not mark clothing. With Scarless, two or three thin applications a day, rubbed in until dry. See how to apply Scarless.

Scar types, stages and intended use

• Healed, closed skin only. Neither is for open wounds. Scarless is applied once the wound has fully closed and sutures are removed. Dermatix Ultra's German instructions say it is ideally applied as soon as the wound has healed, and not on open or fresh wounds.
• Scar types each one names. Scarless: surgical, C-section, burn, hypertrophic and keloid-type scars. Dermatix Ultra's German instructions: keloids and hypertrophic scars, for example after surgery, injuries or burns.
• New and older scars. Scarless uses the same routine for new and older scars. Dermatix Ultra's German instructions say it can also be used on red keloids that are still healing, and note that a scar can take up to two years to form.
• Children. Scarless is suitable for children and sensitive skin once the skin has fully healed; ask a doctor or pharmacist before use in infants. Dermatix Ultra's German instructions describe it as suitable for children too.

What the evidence can and cannot tell us

Silicone as a class. Silicone gels and sheets are widely recommended in scar-management guidance, particularly for hypertrophic scars and keloids. However, systematic reviews have found that the certainty of evidence for some outcomes is low or very low.

Dermatix itself. A 2023 report from the Asian SCARS Expert Group, on Dermatix Ultra and Dermatix Ultra Kids, describes a series of patients with hypertrophic and keloid scars treated with Dermatix, together with expert consensus supporting its use. It is a case series, not a controlled trial, and two of its authors were employees of A. Menarini Asia-Pacific, the company behind Dermatix in Asia. An earlier study in 30 people found that scars treated for 90 days with a Dermatix silicone gel, alone or with silicone sheeting, improved more than scars treated with sheeting alone; its abstract does not say whether this was the Ultra formula.

Silicone gel with vitamin C. A Korean case series of 80 people found that facial surgical scars treated with a silicone gel containing vitamin C were less raised and less red than untreated scars. The abstract does not name the gel, and silicone and vitamin C were not tested separately, so it cannot show what the vitamin C itself adds.

The ingredients beyond silicone. The research on squalane and on vitamin C derivatives looks at the ingredients themselves, not at Scarless as a finished product.

Scarless itself. The published research that Goodness Care cites is on silicone, on the individual ingredients and on related formulations, not on Scarless as a finished product.

A direct comparison. No published study comparing Scarless and Dermatix Ultra directly has been identified.

Scarless may help improve the appearance of scars. More on the research, and its limits, is on the published research page.

Differences between markets

Dermatix Ultra's product information differs in places between countries. Examples from Germany, this page's reference market, and from the official Dermatix pages in Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea:

• Tube sizes. In Germany, Dermatix Ultra is listed in 15 g and 60 g tubes. The official pages list a 15 g tube in Malaysia, 5 g, 9 g and 15 g tubes in Thailand, and a 7 g tube in South Korea.
• How ingredients are described. In Germany, the instructions for use describe cyclic and polymeric siloxanes and a vitamin C ester. In South Korea, the product page lists the main silicone ingredients and ends with "etc."; no vitamin C ester appears in that list, although the same site says the gel contains one. Neither names the exact vitamin C compound, and a shorter list is not evidence that an ingredient is absent.
• How long to use it. In Germany: at least two months, longer for scars that are difficult to treat. In Malaysia, the official pages give a minimum of 60 to 90 days, and 6 to 9 months for burn or surgical scars.
• Scar stage. In Germany, the instructions for use say it is ideally applied as soon as the wound has healed. The official page in Thailand describes it for immature or early-stage scars only, while the one in South Korea describes it for old or new hypertrophic and keloid scars.
• Sunscreen. The official pages in Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea say sunscreen and make-up can be applied after the gel; the one in Thailand allows about 1 to 2 minutes for drying first. In Germany, the instructions for use mention cosmetics and make-up only.

Product formulations, pack sizes and instructions can vary by country. Check the product information approved where you live.