Why is silicone gel sheet used in scar revision surgery?

Once the incision has closed enough for the surgeon to approve contact, silicone creates a breathable, protective layer over the new scar. The occlusive surface helps maintain hydration and may reduce the activity that makes some scars firm, raised, itchy, or red. It cannot erase a scar or change the original wound history.

Scar tissue keeps maturing after surgery. A sheet may need regular, consistent use for the benefit to become noticeable, and the result varies with scar location, tension, skin type, and healing behaviour. Irritation can occur if the skin is damp, the adhesive is too strong, or the sheet is worn too long without cleaning.

Use silicone only when the surgical team says the incision is healed enough; do not place it over open areas, drainage, scabs, or infection. Apply it to clean, dry skin and follow the wear and cleaning instructions. Remove it if burning, rash, or broken skin develops, and let the area settle before asking whether another product is suitable. Protect the scar from strong sunlight as advised.

Contact the surgical team for increasing redness, warmth, swelling, drainage, wound separation, or pain around the incision. Seek urgent care for fever with rapidly spreading redness or feeling severely unwell. A new, rapidly enlarging, very hard, or intensely painful scar should be reviewed rather than covered without advice.

Ask when the sheet can start, how long to wear it each day, how to clean the scar, and what to do if the adhesive irritates your skin. Ask whether your scar needs review for infection, excessive thickening, or another treatment.