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. 2015 Sep 30;9(3):87-8.
doi: 10.3315/jdcr.2015.1210.

Photoletter to the editor: Topical 0.5% brimonidine gel to camouflage redness of immature scars

Markus Reinholz  1 , Markus Heppt  1 , Julia K Tietze  1 , Thomas Ruzicka  1 , Gerd G Gauglitz  1 , Jürgen Schauber  1
Affiliations

Photoletter to the editor: Topical 0.5% brimonidine gel to camouflage redness of immature scars

Markus Reinholz et al. J Dermatol Case Rep. .

Abstract

Cutaneous scars develop as a result of a defective wound healing process. Scars are commonly visible as erythematous, sometimes disfiguring lesions which might be stigmatizing for the affected patient. Only a few therapies to improve the appearance of scars are available. Recently, brimonidine - a selective α2-receptor-agonist which causes vasoconstriction of small cutaneous vessels - was approved for the treatment of erythemato-telangiectatic rosacea. Topical brimonidine might also be helpful to improve redness of immature scars. Here we report on the effect of brimonidine 0.5% gel on a flat, erythematous scar in a 25-year-old female patient. Whitening of the scar could be observed immediately after application of brimonidine 0.5% gel and a good clinical result was observed within one hour. This effect lasted for up to three hours. We conclude that brimonidine 0.5% gel is a suitable topical therapy to reduce erythema in visible cutaneous scars.

Keywords: brimonidine gel; erythema; immature scar; scar; topical therapy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Flat, erythematous scar at the left shoulder of a 25-year-old woman before topical treatment. (B) One hour after application of 0.5% brimonidine gel the redness of the scar disappeared and the scar nearly becomes invisible.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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