Mepiform® is a very thin and flexible product that can be worn on awkward parts of the body without affecting the patient’s quality of life during treatment. It is also very easy to use, and its colour (akin to that of skin) makes it very discreet.

Various studies have shown that silicone laminates are effective in the treatment of keloid and hypertrophic scars, both recent and old. They can be used as monotherapy or in combination with other treatments for this problem.

It is not scientifically known how silicone works in scar treatment, but what has been shownis that the effect of these silicone laminates is not caused by pressure (which is minimal withdressings, insufficient to reduce the thickness or size of a scar) or due to oxygen pressure,temperature regulation or occlusion.The most widely accepted theory as to how the product works on the scar is that the siliconelaminate imitates the water vapor-regulating effect of this part of the skin, in the same way asthe horny layer of the skin. When water vapor loss is reduced, the collagenases are activatedfor longer, which leads to a gradual reduction in collagen bundles due to sustained collagenaseactivity

Effectiveness proven in 92% of cases

An international group of clinical experts recommends silicone dressings as the best treatment for hypertrophic and keloid scars. In Spain, Mepiform® is recommended by top professionals in the fields of plastic surgery, dermatology, maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics and others as the most comfortable, effective product. Their clinical results confirm this.

Evaluation of a self-adherent soft silicone dressing for the treatment of hypertrophic postoperative scars

Middelkoop, E., van Uhen, E., Vloemans, J. Poster presentation at the European Wound Management Association Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 2000.
Affiliation:
Department of Plastic Surgery, Special Sciences Institute, Madrid, Spain. 

Objective

The primary objective was to compare the efficacy of a self-adherent soft silicone dressing (Mepiform®) with 'left-alone' management of hypertrophic scars using theVancouver Scar Scale. Secondary objectives were to follow photographs of the scars, patients' opinions of the scars, and doctors' and patients' assessments of the overall dressing performance, safety and tolerance.

Method

An exploratory open randomised controlled clinical investigation was undertaken on 11 female patients aged 21-43 years with postoperative scars (nine following breast surgery, two following lower abdominal-glutealplasty). Treatment was initiated between two weeks and two months (mean 4.7 weeks) after surgery. Ten patients completed the 12-month investigation; one patient in the treatment group discontinued for personal reasons.

Results

All parameters in the Vancouver Scar Scale improved in both groups, although patients treated with the soft silicone dressing showed greater and more rapid improvements compared with the non-treated patients, while their assessments of the condition of the scar were more favourable. Medical staff rated the overall dressing performance as 'very good' or'good'. One adverse event was reported--local skin irritation at the site of the scar.

Conclusion

The results suggest that patients treated with the soft silicone dressing experienced greater and more rapid improvements compared with non-treated patients. These results concur with those of previous studies. The fact that Mepiform is self-adhesive and causes limited damage to the stratum corneum on removal gives it an added value compared with non-adhesive silicone gel dressings.