Appeal of Onion Is Weak for Scar Treatment

Onion extract gel (Mederma) has been promoted by its manufacturer to improve the appearance and texture of surgical scars. To confirm or refute this claim, researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, internally controlled, split scar study involving 24 patients with sutured wounds measuring at least 4 cm in length after excision or Mohs surgery. On the day of suture removal, one half of each scar was randomly assigned to treatment with onion gel and the other half to treatment with a petrolatum emollient (Aquaphor), three times per day for 8 weeks.

Fifty percent of the scars were on the head, 39% on the trunk, and 21% on the extremities; the patients’ mean age was 65 years. At 2 weeks, physician evaluators blinded to tre…