Cosmetic outcomes of postoperative scar taping after surgical incisions: A systematic review

The application of silicone sheets to surgical wounds is currently recommended for hypertrophic scar and keloid prophylaxis after closure of surgical incisions. The use of other types of tapes that differ in cost and biomechanical properties has been reported, although a formal synthesis on this topic within recent years has yet to be undertaken.

MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane were comprehensively searched between January 2000 - December 2025, following the PRISMA guidelines. Included studies evaluated cosmetic outcomes of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing surgical wound taping following primary wound closure. Randomised controlled trials, comparative cohort studies, and case series (n≥5) were eligible.

In the 14 included studies, microporous tapes and Steri-Strips were most popular, encompassing 217 and 159 patients respectively. Cosmetic outcomes were assessed at a mean of 5.13 months (range 21 days to 12 months), using heterogeneous tools including SCAR-Q, Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), Vancouver Scar Scale, and Visual Analogue Scales. The application of tapes after primary closure showed significant improvements in scar cosmesis compared to patients without any interventions (n=75), with some evidence suggesting that more inexpensive paper tapes produce clinically similar results to gold-standard silicone sheets.

Surgical wound taping using adhesives other than silicone sheets appears to be an effective strategy for improving scar cosmesis. Further randomised controlled trials studies using a consistently layered primary closure methods and directly comparing different types of tapes including silicone sheets using longer follow up and standardised reporting outcomes are needed.