ABSTRACT
@#OBJECTIVE/strong: Topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel is one of the many non-invasive scar treatments available to improve the appearance and physical attributes of scars. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel versus placebo based on appearance and physical attributes of hypertrophic thyroidectomy scars.br /br /strongMETHODS/strong:br /strongDesign/strong: Randomized, double-blinded, split-scar controlled trialbr /strongSetting/strong: Out-Patient Department of a tertiary government hospitalbr /strongPatient/strong: 20 patients with hypertrophic thyroidectomy scars had each side of the scar randomly assigned treatment with topical extract cepae-heparin sodium-allantoin gel or placebo (glycerine gel). Each product was applied two times daily for six weeks, and scars were evaluated prior to initiation of treatment and after six weeks by patients and one observer. Pre- and post- treatment photo documentation and scar evaluation using a local language translation of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) were completed for each side of the scar.br /br /strongRESULTS/strong: There was no significant difference in effectiveness of topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel versus placebo for both the patient scale (p = 0.91) and observer scale (p = 0.87) in appearance and physical attributes of a thyroidectomy scar.br /br /strongCONCLUSION/strong: Topical cepae extract-heparin sodium-allantoin gel was not proven to be superior to the placebo as scar therapy in all parameters assessed by the Filipino translation of POSAS. The small sample size, duration of hypertrophic scar, duration of treatment, and validity and reliability of the Filipino translation of POSAS may have affected our results; and periodic subjective and objective assessments with multi-observer evaluation of scars and pre- and post- treatment photographs may be considered for further studies./p