Best scar cream: The best treatments to fade stretch marks, surgery scars and acne scars
Fade, shrink and prevent scars from surgery, injuries and acne with our recommended best scar creams that actually work
It’s pretty rare to reach adulthood without a scar, and many of us continue to collect battle scars over the years. Injuries, surgery and skin problems leave shiny lines, dents and lumps in our skin, while scars such as stretch marks and dark spots are an almost inevitable part of ageing. You may assume that all these scars are permanent, but the best scar creams and gels can fade and shrink them, including the scars you’ve had for years.
Scars can be beautiful, of course. A C-section scar gave life to a child, and wound scars show that you survived an injury. But scars can also really affect your confidence. So we’re very happy to discover that many scar creams really do work, with active ingredients such as medical-grade silicone gel, beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and allantoin working in different ways to fade and heal different types of scar, and prevent scars from forming after injury or surgery.
Read on to find out more about choosing the best ingredient and product type for your scars. Or, if you know what you’re looking for, skip down the page for our recommended best scar creams.
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Best scar cream: At a glance
- Best scar cream to fade new and old scars: Azally Advanced Scar Gel
- Best scar cream for acne scars: Murad InvisiScar Recovery Treatment
- Best scar cream for stretch marks: Nessa Organics Scar Saviour
How to choose the best scar cream for you
What are scars?
Scars are a natural part of the healing process after injury. A loss or change in your collagen structure causes scarring, which is why you can get scars without even breaking the skin (stretch marks and injury bumps, for example). Most scars, though, form after the skin has suffered an open wound. Moisturisers and emollients can really help to prevent a wound from scarring, but you must of course let the wound heal first, and this can take several weeks after surgery or serious injury.
Flat scars and areas of discolouration from a superficial wound (such as a cut or a nasty spot) are usually temporary. Raised scars such as keloids and hypertrophic scars result from an overly aggressive healing process, and they’re often permanent. Larger ones can be removed by surgery or steroid injections, but smaller keloids and hypertrophic scars can be treated at home using products containing scar-shrinking ingredients such as silicone and allantoin.
What active ingredients should I look for in the best scar creams?
Different types of scar require different types of treatment. Here are some of the ingredients you’ll find in scar creams and gels.
Silicone gel is a medical-grade scar treatment that you can buy over-the-counter (OTC) at pharmacies or online without a prescription. It can be extremely effective in shrinking raised scars, including large keloid and hypertrophic scars; evening out deep scars, such as acne pits; and reducing pigmentation.
Allantoin softens keratin, the fibrous protein that gives your skin its waterproofing, toughness and elasticity. It’s not usually vegan, because it’s derived from the urine of mammals, but some products do use lab-made equivalents. Allantoin is the main active ingredient in Mederma Advanced Gel, one of the best-known treatments for reducing the appearance of scars.
Onion extract is a scar-fading wonder ingredient, believe it or not. Numerous scientific trials have found that it’s extremely effective at reducing the redness and discolouration of scars. It’s not so effective at shrinking their size, though; silicone gel is the most effective scar-shrinking ingredient.
BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) such as salicylic acid can really help to smooth out acne scars. They resurface and renew your skin, helping to minimise pits and lines and even out your skin tone.
Other scar-fading ingredients include turmeric, whose constituent curcumin fights inflammation and oxidation to lower your body’s response to surface wounds, helping them heal more quickly. Green tea contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds called catechins, along with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has been shown to block collagen production in keloid scars. Marshmallow root and liquorice root have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and can help to reduce hyperpigmentation.
How can I stop my skin scarring after surgery or injury?
Moisturisers are extremely useful for limiting the size and appearance of new scars. There are several types, all helpful for keeping the skin hydrated and elastic once the initial wound has healed:
- Pantothenic acid and panthenol (aka vitamin B5) form hydrogen bonds with water, pulling moisture into the skin (or hair, hence their popularity in shampoos and conditioners). These ingredients make scar tissue more elastic, which is essential for healthy and scar-free healing, and help new tissue to grow normally.
- Emollients such as shea butter, coconut oil and candelilla wax dramatically soften the skin and help to restore its elasticity, and also help to protect it by creating a smooth barrier to seal in moisture. As a bonus, natural emollients like these are vegan and cruelty-free alternatives to lanolin, which is derived from sheep’s wool.
- Sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid trap water in the fluid between the cells of your skin. Your skin’s natural levels of this ingredient drop over time, which is why children’s skin heals much faster than adults’.
READ NEXT: The best salicylic acid products
The best scar creams you can buy in 2022
1. Azally Advanced Scar Gel: Best scar cream to fade new and old scars
Price: £14 for 30g | Buy now from Amazon
Medical-grade silicone gel is clinically proven to be an effective at-home treatment for various types of scar, including hypertrophic, keloid, acne and burn scars, as well as surgical scars. It can even shrink enlarged pores. This pure silicone gel has a Vaseline-like consistency but doesn’t smell nasty, and absorbs really easily into your skin to stimulate cell growth. Judging by the reports of scar sufferers, with scars new and old, this stuff really does work to reduce their size and fade discolouration.
Silicone gel delivers results faster than most other scar-reducing treatments, but you still need to put in some work (and patience). Massage a small amount into the scar with your fingers in a circular motion for about 10 minutes, two or three times a day, every day, for a few weeks or months to help clear the scar tissue.
Key details – Volume: 30g; Format: Gel; Active ingredients: Silicone oil (100%)
AZALLY Advanced Scar Gel - Scar Diminishing Serum - Reduces The Appearance of Old & New Scars - Best Scar Treatment for Repair Scars from Burns Cuts Acne Spots Stretch Marks
2. Mederma Advanced Gel: Best scar cream for the face
Price: £16 for 20ml | Buy now from Amazon
The world’s best-selling scar cream claims to reduce the appearance of all types of scar, including new and old scars from burns, cuts, surgery and acne. It’s fine to use on sensitive skin and your face, but as with all scar creams you should avoid the temptation to put it on a wound that hasn’t healed over yet. Once your skin is no longer broken and any stitches are out, you can then apply Mederma once or twice a day. It’s formulated to deeply moisturise the skin and penetrate deep to aid cell generation, reduce excess collagen and combat the redness of scars.
The non-runny gel does have a bit of a medicinal smell, but it’s really easy to apply, and dries fast to create an invisible protective coating over your scar while it’s getting to work. Be aware that Mederma products are not paraben-free.
Key details – Volume: 20ml; Format: Gel; Active ingredients: Allium (onion) extract, allantoin
Mederma Advanced Gel - Advanced Scar Care for Scars - Clinically Shown to Improve the Appearance of Scars from 14 Days* - 20 ml
3. Derma-E Scar Gel: Best scar cream for surgery scars
Price: £14.50 for 56g | Buy now from Amazon
Liberal use of moisturiser or emollient will help to limit the size of scars after surgery or injury, but this fabulously refreshing-feeling gel can help to shrink old scars as well as powerfully reducing the size of new ones. It packs in a handful of scar-reducing ingredients, including allantoin, panthenol and onion extract, to get to work on all kinds of scarring, including stretch marks and skin discolouration. It’s light enough to use on your face, smells nice and doesn’t feel sticky, but it takes a little while to dry, so let it dry before you go to bed.
Key details – Volume: 56g; Format: Gel; Key ingredients: Allicin (onion extract), allantoin, panthenol (vitamin B5)
4. Murad InvisiScar Recovery Treatment: Best scar cream for acne scars
Price: £35 for 15ml | Buy now from Cult Beauty
Exfoliating serums containing BHAs such as salicylic acid are best known as acne treatments, because they help to unclog pores and turn over the skin’s production of new cells. But they’re excellent for smoothing out facial scars, too, including the indentations, pits, large pores and patches of pigmentation you’re left with after years of spots and blackheads.
This serum is specially designed to reduce the appearance of acne scars and discolouration. It also ‘fills’ pits and dents to have an instant cosmetic benefit, while the active ingredients get to work behind the scenes. Scar-smoothing and pigmentation-fading effects take a couple of months to be fully visible.
Key details – Volume: 15ml; Format: Serum; Active ingredients: Vitamin C, salicylic acid, madecassic acid
5. Nessa Organics Scar Saviour: Best scar cream for stretch marks
Price: £25 for 30ml | Buy now from Cult Beauty
Nessa Organics was founded by mother-of-three Fiona Toomey when she struggled to find skincare products as a new mum. This lovely vegan-friendly balm contains plant-derived ingredients that may sound gentle (marshmallow root, yum) but have been shown to powerfully minimise the appearance of all kinds of scarring, including stretch marks and surgery scars.
We love the consistency of this stuff, which absorbs really well and smells much nicer than most scar creams. It is on the pricey side, though, and like all scar creams it won’t deliver overnight results – you’ll need more than this £25 30ml pot to see much difference.
Key details – Volume: 30ml; Format: Balm; Key ingredients: Marshmallow root, liquorice root, turmeric
6. SVR CICAVIT+ Cream: Best scar cream for children’s cuts and grazes
Price: £12 for 100ml | Buy now from Amazon
This healing-accelerator cream is safe to use on babies and children, but is no slouch when it comes to helping burnt, chapped or grazed young skin. It absorbs fast with no greasiness, and feels really soothing on sore skin. More importantly in the long run, it speeds up skin repair while reducing redness and helping to prevent lasting marks and scarring. Be aware that it doesn’t provide any sun protection to that damaged skin, so be extra careful to apply a high SPF as well – or stay indoors.
Key details – Volume: 100ml; Format: Cream; Key ingredients: Shea butter, glycerin, oleifera seed oil
