Topical silicone gel versus placebo in promoting the maturation of burn scars: a randomized controlled trial

Silicone sheets are widely used in the treatment of hypertrophic scars, although application around joints may cause limited adherence and reduced movement. To approach these problems, a topical silicone gel was developed that can be applied easily in a thin layer, and that is nonrestrictive and less apparent. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of topical silicone gel in promoting the maturation of burn scars.

Forty-six scars on 23 patients were included in a randomized, placebo-controlled, within-subject comparative, double-blinded, clinical trial and followed for 1 year. The mean age of the scars at inclusion was 4 months. Effectiveness on scar quality was evaluated using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale and the DermaSpectrometer. Significance was tested using repeated measures analyses and Wilcoxon paired-sample signed rank tests.

Over all visits, the benefit on surface roughness was statistically significant (p = 0.012). At individual time points, the surface of the topical silicone gel-treated scars showed significantly less roughness (p = 0.014) at 3 months after start of the treatment, and the topical silicone gel-treated scars were significantly less itchy (p = 0.018 and p = 0.013, respectively) at 3 and 6 months.

Topical silicone gel significantly improves the surface roughness of burn scars, and patients experience significantly less itching in the first half year after application.