A new proprietary onion extract gel improves the appearance of new scars: a randomized, controlled,...

This randomized, controlled, single-blind study evaluated the appearance of new dermal scars after eight weeks of once-daily application of a nonprescription proprietary onion extract gel formulation compared to control (no application scars) in a dermatological surgical setting.

At Visit 1, 44 healthy male and female subjects aged 18 to 70 years gave informed consent, were screened, and enrolled in the study. Two bilateral, 8mm seborrheic keratoses, one on the right and one on the left chest, were surgically removed from each subject. The wounds were photographed at all visits. Two weeks later (Visit 2), each subject was randomly assigned to apply onion extract gel to either the right or left side wound site once daily for eight weeks and no treatment on the opposite wound. The investigator was blinded to which wound was treated. At two, four, and eight weeks after gel application, right and left scars were graded by the investigator and subjects for improvement from baseline in overall appearance, texture, redness, and softness using 4-point ordinal scales (0=no improvement, 1=mild improvement; 2= moderate improvement; 3=significant improvement). Safety was evaluated by adverse events.

Six subjects (13.6%) experienced mild stinging that resolved spontaneously. At two weeks, the subjects rated gel-applied scars to be significantly softer than control scars (p=0.014). After four and eight weeks of application, the investigator and subjects rated all appearance variables of the gel-applied scars to be significantly more improved from baseline than control scars (p=0.017 to p<0.01).

The new proprietary onion extract gel is safe and significantly improves scar appearance after four weeks of once-daily application.