Mederma for Kids Review

Mederma for Kids is according to manufacturer Merz Pharmaceuticals 'the first and only' scar treatment product dedicated to children. The cream is advertised as it should help soften and smooth old and new scars. During application it's purple which fades quickly and should be of attraction to children. I can imagine it does but more importantly, does Mederma for Kids do what it says? Does it really work?

We can't determine with complete certainty. The main, active ingredient of this particular scar cream is the botanical extract Allium cepa which is onion extract. As far as I know there have been done two clinical studies on this component. One concluded that there was no benefit. The other showed some effect on collagen creation (scar tissue consists mainly of collagen). But the latter was a study conducted on rabbit ears.

I also found an article referring to a study but no PubMed or other source. This study concluded that scars treated with Mederma were significantly softer in appearance. So in conclusion, there's no evidence it works, but no real evidence it does not.

Anecdotal reports on the other hand are promising. Many who have used Mederma, or Mederma for Kids are positive. But this is the case for vitamin E as well. Which is disencouraged to use on scars because it does not work and may cause skin irritation and even worsen scars.

These reviews on SkinStore.com show how mixed the opinions are:

Great stuff - 3/25/2008 My son was 10 months old when he had a severe facial laceration...he looks almost like it didn't happen now, the dr. gave us this to use and I attruibute this to a good surgeon and Mederma

Disappointing - 11/23/2007 I bought this for my daughter who was bitten by a dog. She used it religiously as stated on the pack, but there was no change. Her scars are still very red and she is has become very self conscious. A waste of time and money.

In conclusion: Mederma for Kids may be helpful for some scars on some kids. Whether the effects are due to massaging the gel into the tissue or actual effective products remains to be seen. Personally I would rather use Vaseline which has shown to be just as effective (or even slightly more) in one study. Experts think this may have to do with its hydrating qualities. For a proven effective product use silicone sheets or gels. These are still the only backed by science products available.


The ingredients of Mederma for Kids are:

Water (Purified), PEG-4, Allium Cepa (Onion) Bulb Extract, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Sorbic Acid, D&C Violet No. 2, FD&C Red No. 4.

Mederma for Kids vs. Mederma
I think it's good to point out that these are the exact same ingredients as in Mederma. The additional ingredients are the colors added. Consequently the scent of both products is the same.