Most scar victims unaware that OTC treatments could make problem worse

Great Neck, N.Y. - More than 90 percent of U.S. adults who have or have had a scar say they were unaware that using an over-the-counter product to help heal their scar might actually make it worse.

That was one of the results of a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Great Neck-based Scarguard Labs. The survey showed that the vast majority of people do not know that different scars require different treatments, and showed that more than one-third (35 percent) of adults with scars mistakenly believe that products are available in drugstore that will help raised scars, acne scars and stretch marks.

The survey concludes that the healthcare community needs to do a better job of educating consumers so they can make the best decisions about scar treatment.

The survey results reveal that among U.S. adults who have or had a scar, 44 percent say they wish there was an easy, effective way to get rid of the scar; 28 percent say they wear their scar “like a badge of courage”; 23 percent say that when they look at their scar, it brings back bad memories of how they got it.

Nearly half (49 percent) of those who have not tried an over-the-counter product to treat the scar say they would do so if the product was either recommended by their primary care physician, a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist; was scientifically tested to show that it is effective; was easy to use.