Efficacy of Silicone Gel Sheets with 595-nm Pulse Dye Laser in Patients with Post-Cesarean Section Scar: A Pilot Study

Background: The cesarean section site is the lower abdomen, where postoperative scarring can cause patient distress. There is no general agreement about the best option for therapeutic management of cesarean section scars. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the silicone gel sheet for cesarean section scars. Methods: Eight volunteers (Korean women) who had undergone cesarean section on the lower abdomen were enrolled. This study involved an open-label, split-scar trial. First, the 595-nm pulsed dye laser (1.5 ms, 7 mm spot size, 7.5-15 J/cm2, 1 session) was performed on all the cesarean scars. Silicone gel (ScarclinicTM) was applied on the right half (case side) for 24 hours each day for 12 weeks and not on the other half (control side). Clinical assessment was carried out using a Vancouver scar scale (VSS). The investigator’s global assessments of the final cosmetic results were rated. Results: The mean difference in the VSS score from baseline to one month was 2.4 (p = 0.01) on the case side and 0.4 (p = 0.08) on the control side. The mean difference in the VSS score from baseline to three months was 2.7 (p = 0.03) on the case side and 0.7 (p = 0.17) on the control side. The average global assessment scores on the case side were 2.4 ± 0.5 after one month and 2.5 ± 0.5 after three months. The average global assessment scores on the control side were 2.1 ± 0.4 after one month and 2.3 ± 0.5 after three months. There were no significant adverse effects such as pain, hyper pigmentation, or infection. Conclusions: The treatment of postoperative cesarean section scars using a silicone gel sheet may be effective and safe