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

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. After median sternotomy, patients were randomised into two groups. Group 1: topical silicone gel plus herbal extract gel ( 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). Our results suggest, post-sternotomy scars trend to have better vascularity and pigmentation when treated with silicone gel plus herbal extracts.