Silicone Gel for Scars: How to Choose One in Australia After 45
Quick summary
Silicone gel for scars is the most studied at-home option, and for most people the real decision is not whether to use silicone but which format to buy and how much of it. Gel suits scars on the face, over joints, and anywhere a sheet will not stay stuck.
Quantity is the part nobody mentions. Twice a day for eight to twelve weeks adds up, and a long surgical scar gets through a small tube fast. Working out how much you need before you buy is what stops a course halfway.
At Genova Skincare we sell a silicone scar gel, so read this as a buyer's guide with our product in it rather than a neutral survey. Australian prices were checked on 18 September 2026. Results vary from person to person.
30ml. Dries clear in about 30 seconds and sits under sunscreen and makeup. For fully healed skin only. Made in Australia.
What to look for when you buy silicone gel for scars after 45
Most silicone scar gels do the same physical job. A thin layer dries over the scar, holds moisture in and shields the area, and over months that tends to leave a scar softer, flatter and less red. Research published in the European Journal of Dermatology put silicone at the front of the practical options for managing scars, and that has not really changed since.
So if the products are similar, what separates them? Four things, and only one of them is the formula.
- Drying time. A gel that takes several minutes to dry will get wiped onto your clothes. Anything around thirty seconds to a couple of minutes is workable.
- Whether anything can go over it. On a face or neck scar this decides everything. Sunscreen and makeup should sit over the top once the gel is fully dry.
- Tube size against your scar. The single most common reason a course fails is running out. More on this below.
- Price per millilitre or gram, not price per tube. The small tubes look cheap and almost never are.
At Genova Skincare we hear the same thing from women over 45 who have already tried something: they did not stop because it was not working, they stopped because the tube ran out at week five and the second one felt like an admission of defeat.
How much silicone gel do you need for a scar after 45?
This is the question the packaging does not answer, so here is the arithmetic.
The usual protocol is a thin layer twice a day for eight to twelve weeks, and Stratpharma, who make Strataderm, put the minimum at 60 to 90 days for their own gel. A layer should be thin enough to dry clear and nearly disappear. If it looks white or feels tacky, that is too much and it is being wasted.
Roughly, and it does vary with how you apply it:
- A short scar of two to five centimetres, say a mole removal or a small excision, uses very little. A 5g tube can carry a short course, and a 30ml tube will comfortably see out twelve weeks with plenty spare.
- A C-section or tummy tuck scar of 15 to 25 centimetres is a different proposition. Expect to get through considerably more, and plan on more than one tube for a full course.
- Older scars usually need longer than fresh ones, so build in extra.
Buy for the course, not for the week. It is the cheapest decision in the whole process and the one most people get wrong. For the application method itself, our complete guide to fading scars with silicone gel takes it step by step.
2 x 30ml. The quantity most people need to finish twelve weeks on a longer scar without stopping in the middle.
Gel, sheets or tape: which format suits your scar after 45?
All three put silicone against the skin. They differ in where they will actually stay put, which is what decides whether you keep using them.
| Format | Where it works best | Where it struggles | Cost in Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone gel | Face, neck, hands, joints, anywhere visible or that moves | Needs remembering twice a day. Easy to apply too thickly | About $20 to $160 a tube depending on size |
| Silicone sheets | Flat, coverable areas such as the abdomen or upper arm | Lifts at the edges, shows above a collar, struggles in Australian heat | About $25 to $60 a pack |
| Paper or micropore tape | A fresh, straight surgical scar under tension | Not silicone. Visible on skin. No help with colour | About $5 a roll |
| Oils such as Bio-Oil | General dryness and comfort | Much weaker evidence for changing a scar itself | About $15 to $25 |
A trial published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science compared silicone gel against silicone sheeting on surgical scars and found no meaningful difference in how the scars turned out. What it did find was that people rated the gel significantly easier to live with. It was a small study, 25 people completed it, so treat it as a pointer rather than proof. Our fuller comparison of gel against sheets goes through it in detail, and gel against scar tape covers the tension question.
See Genova Silicone Scar Gel →
What silicone gel for scars costs in Australia
Australian pricing on silicone gels is all over the place, and the spread inside a single brand is often wider than the spread between brands. Prices below were taken from Australian retailer listings on 18 September 2026 and move constantly.
| Option | Size | Typical Australian price | Rough cost per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strataderm | 5g | $20.52 to $29.95 | About $4.10 to $5.99 a gram |
| Strataderm | 20g | $67.99 to $69.95 | About $3.40 a gram |
| Genova Silicone Scar Gel | 30ml | $52.95 | About $1.77 a millilitre |
| Genova 12-Week Course | 2 x 30ml | $94.95 | About $1.58 a millilitre |
| Supermarket and online own-brands | Varies | From about $20 | Check the silicone content first |
One honest caveat on that last column, because it matters and it is usually glossed over: grams and millilitres are not the same unit, and silicone gels differ in density. Comparing one against the other gives you a rough guide, not a like-for-like figure. Use it to spot the obvious outliers rather than to split hairs.
The other thing worth knowing is that the small tube is almost always the expensive way to buy. A 5g tube can work out at more than double the per-gram cost of a larger one, and a 5g tube will not carry a long scar through a course. If you are comparing brands, our guide to Strataderm pricing in Australia goes through the tube sizes in detail.
What silicone gel cannot do for a scar on mature skin
This is the part that decides whether the purchase was worth it, so it needs saying plainly.
Silicone does not remove a scar. Nothing you can buy over a counter does. It will not lift a deeply pitted acne scar, because the problem there is missing tissue underneath rather than anything on the surface. It will not flatten a large keloid on its own, and a keloid that is growing, painful or spreading beyond the original wound belongs with a doctor rather than a tube of gel.
It also does nothing for stretch marks, which form differently, and it should never go on skin that is not fully closed. If there is a scab, a gap, a weep or sutures still in place, the wound is still a wound.
Realistic expectations
Expect gradual change rather than a before-and-after moment. Most people notice the itch and tightness settle first, often within the first few weeks, then colour and texture over eight to twelve weeks of twice-daily use. Older scars are slower and often need longer.
A scar that has matured over several years may soften and fade a little and go no further. Results vary from person to person, and skin after 45 generally takes longer to show change than skin at 25.
Who silicone gel for scars suits after 45, and who it does not
It is worth your money if you have a fully healed surgical, C-section, burn or injury scar, you want a daily step you can do at home, the scar is raised or red rather than sunken, and you are willing to keep going for three months.
Look elsewhere if the wound is not closed yet, the scar is pitted or sunken, you are dealing with a large or growing keloid, you are hoping for removal rather than improvement, or you know you will not keep at it twice a day. In that last case a sheet you leave on may genuinely suit you better, and there is no shame in that.
If your scar is on the face and you have never used silicone there, our guide to putting sunscreen over silicone scar gel covers the sequence, which matters more in Australia than almost anywhere.
Silicone gel for scars: the questions women over 45 ask most
Do silicone scar gels actually work?
Silicone is the best supported at-home approach to scar management, and reviews of scar care consistently put it among the first things to try for raised and red scars. What it changes is how a scar looks and feels over months. It does not remove one, and results vary from person to person.
Can you use silicone gel for scars on your face?
Yes, and the face is where the gel format earns its place, because a sheet will not stay on and is obvious if it does. Let it dry fully, then sunscreen and makeup go over the top.
Is silicone gel for scars safe for children?
Silicone itself is widely used on children's scars and Stratpharma states their gel is suitable for children. Genova Silicone Scar Gel is formulated for adult skin, so for a child's scar ask your GP or pharmacist which product to use.
How long before you see a difference?
Usually eight to twelve weeks of consistent twice-daily use, with more change over three to six months. The itch settling is often the first sign anything is happening.
Does silicone gel work on old scars?
It can help, more slowly and with a lower ceiling. Colour and softness tend to shift before height does. Our piece on whether silicone gel helps an old scar goes into what to expect.
Can you use too much silicone gel?
You can waste it. A layer thick enough to stay white or tacky is not doing more, it is just costing more and rubbing off on your clothes. Thin enough to disappear is the target.
If you are standing in a pharmacy comparing two tubes, the useful questions are not about the formula. Ask how long you will be using it, how big the scar is, and what the tube actually costs per millilitre once you have bought enough to finish. Pick the format you will still be using in week ten, because the evidence for silicone is all built on people who kept going.
Enough gel to finish the course
Made in Australia, dries clear in about thirty seconds, and sized for a full course rather than a fortnight.
Genova Silicone Scar Gel
30ml. The single tube, for a short scar or a first course.
12-Week Course, 2 pack
2 x 30ml. For a longer scar, or anyone who has run out before.
Made in Australia. For fully healed skin only. Results vary from person to person.
Individual results vary. Genova Silicone Scar Gel is a cosmetic product designed to support the appearance of scars, and it is not a substitute for advice from your GP, surgeon or skin specialist. Apply only to skin that has fully closed. Australian prices quoted are from retailer listings checked on 18 September 2026 and change by retailer and pack size. For a scar that is growing, painful, changing or causing you concern, please see a qualified health professional.
Sources:
- Meaume S, Le Pillouer-Prost A, Richert B, et al. Management of scars: updated practical guidelines and use of silicones. European Journal of Dermatology. 2014;24(4):435-443.
- Kim SM, Choi JS, Lee JH, Kim YJ, Jun YJ. Prevention of postsurgical scars: comparison of efficacy and convenience between silicone gel sheet and topical silicone gel. Journal of Korean Medical Science. 2014;29(Suppl 3):S249-S253.
- Puri N, Talwar A. The efficacy of silicone gel for the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery. 2009;2(2):104-106.
- Stratpharma AG. Strataderm frequently asked questions. strataderm.com, accessed 18 September 2026.
- Australian retailer listings for Strataderm, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline and Ramsay Pharmacy Online, checked 18 September 2026.
This article is part of our guide to fading scars with silicone gel.
