How silicone diaphragms work and how to use them for scar treatment

  Silicone is a polymer with stable physical and chemical properties and is non-irritating and non-antigenic to humans.  The mechanism of silicone film for scar treatment has not been fully elucidated, but most scholars believe that silicone film may work through “hydration”, i.e., after the application of silicone film, the evaporation of water from the scar surface is reduced by about 50%, the water in the skin is transferred to the stratum corneum, the interstitial water-soluble substances are reduced, and the hydrodynamic pressure is decreased, thus making the scar tissue soften. softening. It has also been suggested that there is an electrostatic interaction between the silicone membrane and the scar tissue.  For the effect of water retention, it has been reasoned as follows: silicone film adhesion can act as a normal keratin, reducing water evaporation, thus reducing the local demand for capillaries, inhibiting capillary regeneration, and thus reducing collagen deposition.  The effect of silicone film on scar treatment may include: (1) electron microscopy shows that silicone film has pores that allow oxygen to pass through, which ensures skin oxygen breathing, and some people have also measured the partial pressure of oxygen under silicone film to prove that it is the same as the partial pressure of oxygen on the surface of ordinary scar, and the oxygen solubility of silicone oil is more than 10 times higher than that of plasma and saline, and mice can still get enough oxygen to survive for 6 hours when they are completely immersed in silicone oil. ②Water is retained in the stratum corneum of the skin under the silicone film, and its humidity is the same as that of normal skin, and the water is absorbed by the skin to protect and soften the skin. The evaporation of water from the scar surface after the silicon film is applied is then only half of the original amount. ③ There is silicone oil under the silicon film, which plays a certain therapeutic role. In such an environment, no cells grow, and the silicone oil also has the effect of softening the scar.  In addition, it is common for a large amount of plasma proteins in the scar to infiltrate into the interstitium, causing interstitial edema and increased pressure which is one of the reasons for inducing vascular and fibrous tissue proliferation. With silicone film, the water content of skin stratum corneum increases, which increases the permeability of interstitial water-soluble proteins and water-soluble inflammatory exudates, which rapidly diffuse on the surface of the scar, thus reducing the protein in the scar, decreasing the pressure, and softening the scar. The current efficiency of treating hyperplastic keloids with silicone film is over 80%.  Silicone film usage and precautions are as follows: 1. Cut into a suitable size and paste it on the clean scar, slightly beyond the normal skin; 2. Don’t have a gap between the silicone film and the scar, but apply it completely airtight; 3. Each silicone film can be repeatedly applied every day, as much as possible for 24 hours a day. When you have a good bath, you can put it on again and replace it when there is no more stickiness; 4. For the scar located on the limbs, you can put on the elastic sleeve after the silicone film is applied, which can fix the silicone film and also promote the softening and shrinking of the scar due to the compression effect of the elastic sleeve; 5. If the rash, redness, swelling, itching and irritation appear on the used part, you need to stop using it temporarily and try to use it again after the local skin returns to normal.