Adding herbal extracts to silicone gel on post-sternotomy scar: a prospective randomised double-blind study.

OBJECTIVE Silicone gel has been shown effective in improving healing post-sternotomy scars. It remains to be determined whether adding herbal extracts to the gel would augment the healing effect. METHOD After median sternotomy, patients were randomised into two groups. Group 1: topical silicone gel plus herbal extract gel (Allium cepa, Centella Asiatica, Aloe vera and Paper Mulberry) and Group 2: silicone gel. Patients were treated for six months. The postoperative scars were assessed at three and six months by plastic surgeons using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and the patient assessment scar scale. RESULTS Each group comprised 23 patients (n=46 in total). The VSS was significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p=0.018 and p=0.051, respectively). In Group 1, the four differences from baseline were vascularity scores at three and six months (-0.391, p=0.025; -0.435, p=0.013, respectively), and pigmentation scores at three and six months (-0.391, p=0.019; -0.609, p=0.000, respectively). In Group 2, differences from baseline were the pigmentation and vascularity score at six months (-0.6609, p=0.000; -0.348, p=0.046, respectively). CONCLUSION Our results suggest, post-sternotomy scars trend to have better vascularity and pigmentation when treated with silicone gel plus herbal extracts.