How Long Does it Take for Cocoa Butter to Fade Scars?

If you use cocoa butter as a scar treatment consistently, you will notice an improvement in about 14 days.

Although cocoa butter has many beneficial properties, there is no scientific evidence that it flattens or reduces scars. Cocoa butter is proving to be effective at fading scars based on circumstantial evidence, fortunately.

Cocoa butter is well known for nourishing the skin, though it is also thought to stimulate collagen production. Depending on your skin type, too much collagen production doesn’t help to flatten scars.

List Of Best cocoa butter products for scars

  1. Palmer’s Scar Serum
  2. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter For Stretch Marks And Scars
  3. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil

Best cocoa butter products for scars Comparison Table

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Moisturizing Body Oil
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Moisturizing Body Oil
  • Moisturizing Body Oill
  • Special Formula
  • Finest Ingedients
  • Real high-quality, plant-based ingredients in formulas that really work to hydrate and soften, from lip balm to bar soap to body butter
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Scar Serum
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Scar Serum
  • Ingredients Most Recommended by Doctors
  • Reduces the Appearance of Scars and Marks
  • Vitamin E - A powerful antioxidant
  • Cocoa butter formula
  • Heals rough and dry skin
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion For Stretch Marks
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion For Stretch Marks
  • Stretch Mark Lotion
  • Pure Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter Argan Oil
  • Moisturized for 48 hours
  • Finest Ingredients
  • Real natural high-quality plant-based ingredients 

Top cocoa butter products for scars Reviewed

1. Palmer’s Scar Serum

If you’re prone to dark spots from scarring, Palmer’s scar serum is for you. 

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Vitamin E Scar Serum combines five powerful ingredients to reduce the appearance of scars resulting from surgery, injury, burns, stretch marks, C-sections, cuts, scrapes, and insect bites.

Some users report it could reduce the appearance of keloid scars. 

Pros

  • Vitamin E Scar Serum
  • Five powerful ingredients
  • Helps reduce the appearance of scars.

Cons

  • Takes weeks to see results.

2. Palmer’s cocoa butter for stretch marks and scars 

This product makes your skin look so supple and glowing. With consistent use, your skin will not feel stretched or too tight anymore.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Marks and Scars combines cocoa butter and vitamin E to help reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks while improving skin elasticity.

The product is a non-greasy deep moisturizing body lotion that is ideal for all types of skin to improve skin texture and tone. It is widely recommended for stretch marks during and after pregnancy or weight fluctuation.

Pros

  • Non-greasy
  • Best for stretch mark scars
  • Reduce the appearance of scars.

Cons

  • Some may find it greasy.

3. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil

Palmer’s cocoa butter formula skin therapy oil is perfect for scars. You can use it as a moisturizer to reduce the appearance of scars. The smell is soothing and mild.

It’s a 48-hour moisturizing body oil that helps to improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, dry and damaged skin, uneven skin tone, ageing skin, fine lines and wrinkles. 

This formula is made with cocoa butter to moisturize, argan oil to soften and condition and a blend of ingredients to hydrate and improve skin imperfections while promoting healthy skin cell rejuvenation. 

Pros

  • Improve scars
  • Heals ageing skin.
  • Helps with fine lines.
  • Soften and condition the skin.

Cons

  • Takes time to be effective 

What is a scar?

During the healing process, collagen fibres build up on the skin, resulting in scarring. Scars vary in appearance. Most scars are level with the surrounding skin, but some are raised or sunken. 

Using topical treatments such as cocoa buttercream, vitamin E, and commercial skin care products to eliminate your scars may take longer to be effective. The severity and appearance of scars can be greatly reduced with medical treatments such as dermabrasion, laser therapy, and surgery. There is, however, no method that completely fades scars.

Also read: Does Cocoa Butter help with Scars?

How do scars normally form?

Following tissue damage, scarring occurs as part of the body’s natural healing process.

Injuries to the dermis, the thick layer of skin beneath the epidermis, result in scarring. The body forms a new naturally occurring protein in the body known as collagen fibres to mend the damage, helping to heal and strengthen the wound.

New collagen continues forming for several months and the blood supply increases, causing the scar to become raised and lumpy. The new scar tissue will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding tissue. Scars appear after a wound is completely healed.

In time, some collagen breaks down at the site of the wound and the blood supply reduces. The scar gradually becomes smoother and softer.

Although scars are permanent, they can fade over a period of up to two years. It’s, however, challenging to fade a scar after more than two years.

What are the types of scars?

There are different kinds of scars. Most scars are flat and pale. However, in cases when the body produces too much collagen, scars can be raised. Let’s look at the types of scars below.

Normal fine-line scars

A minor wound, such as a cut, will typically heal with a raised line that will gradually diminish and flatten over time. This procedure could take up to two years. The scar will not totally fade, and you will be left with a noticeable mark or line.

Fine-line scars are typical after a wound or surgery. They are rarely painful, but they can be itchy for several months.

Keloid scars

Sometimes when you’re wounded, there’s an overgrowth of tissue that happens when the body produces too much collagen at the site of a wound. This causes the scar to rise. Raised scars are called hypertrophic scars or keloid scars. 

The scar keeps growing even after the wound has healed.

Keloid scars that protrude above the skin may be pink, red, the same colour as the surrounding skin, or darker. They’re often uncomfortable or irritating, and if they’re tight and close to a joint, they may hinder movement.

Keloid scars are more common in younger, darker-skinned individuals.

Hypertrophic scars

Hypertrophic scars, like keloid scars, are caused by excessive collagen production at the site of a wound.

Hypertrophic scars, unlike keloid scars, do not spread beyond the original wound’s boundary. They may thicken for up to 6 months before gradually improving over the course of a few years.

Pitted or sunken scars

Some scars are caused by skin problems such as acne and chicken pox. As a result, the skin appears sunken or pitted.

Pitted scars, also known as atrophic or ice-pick scars, develop when the underlying components that support the skin, such as fat or muscle, degrade. Some surgical scars have this appearance too.

Scar contractures

Scar contractures are often caused by burns. They happen when the skin shrinks, leading to tightness and a restriction in movement.

Stretch marks

Scars can also appear as stretched skin. Stretch marks are narrow streaks or lines that appear on the skin’s surface when the deeper layer of skin tears.

They’re often caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy or puberty, or as a result of bodybuilding or hormone replacement therapy. In addition, this type of scar can occur when the skin is under tension, that is, near a joint, for example, during a healing process.

Also read: Best Cocoa Butter Lotion for Stretch Marks

How can you treat scars?

Although scars cannot be completely removed, a number of treatments are available that may improve a scar’s appearance and help make it less visible.

 Some methods for improving the appearance of scars include:

1. Topical treatments

You can use tropical products such as vitamin E, cocoa butter cream, silicone gel, onion extract products, Vaseline, and Aquaphor that are sold over the counter. These products are effective in helping to heal scars as long as you’re consistent with them.

2. Surgery 

Although it will not remove a scar, surgery can be used to alter a scar’s shape or make it less noticeable. Doctors do not recommend surgery in cases such as hypertrophic or keloid scarring because there is a risk of recurring scars as well as more severe scarring that results from the treatment.

3. Steroid injections

This treatment consists of steroid injections into a scar that may help flatten it. Injections may help to soften the appearance of keloid or hypertrophic scars. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or bleomycin can be injected into scars to reduce the size of the scar and ease itchiness and pain.

4. Radiotherapy

Low-dose, superficial radiation is used to prevent the recurrence of severe keloid and hypertrophic scarring. Because of the possibility of long-term negative effects, this medication is only used in exceptional instances.

5. Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is a skin-resurfacing process that removes the outer layer of skin with a fast rotating instrument. The skin that replenishes is usually smoother.

Dermabrasion can reduce the appearance of fine facial lines and enhance the appearance of numerous skin imperfections, such as acne scars, surgical scars, age spots, and wrinkles. Dermabrasion can be performed on its own or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures.

6. Microdermabrasion 

Microdermabrasion is a gentler technique than dermabrasion. It makes minor skin imperfections appear smoother.

A number of treatments spread out over months will be required to achieve modest, transient outcomes. In the treated areas, you may experience minor redness or a stinging sensation. If you have rosacea or tiny red veins on your face, this procedure may irritate your condition.

7. Laser resurfacing

This process, akin to dermabrasion, removes the skin’s superficial layers with various types of lasers. Newer lasers may produce more modest outcomes by targeting collagen in the dermis rather than the surface layers of skin.

This breakthrough requires minimal downtime compared to standard laser resurfacing and dermabrasion, which require more recovery time.

8. Filler injections

These procedures can be used to elevate sunken scars to the level of the surrounding skin. However, the effects of these injections are only short-lived, and the operations may need to be performed on a regular basis. 

Newer injectable fillers are now available on the market and maybe a solution for certain people.

9. Microneedling

In an attempt to diminish the appearance of scars, many small puncture holes are created in the superficial skin to promote collagen production and even to introduce collagen stimulators or other materials. This is known as microneedling.

10. Cryosurgery 

This treatment involves applying liquid nitrogen to the affected area with a cotton-tipped swab for five seconds or less. This kills the excess pigment. The skin appears lighter as the region heals. Spray freezing can be used on a small number of areas. The treatment may cause temporary skin irritation and a minor risk of permanent scarring or discolouration.

A combination of treatments to treat scars is not uncommon.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does cocoa butter really help scars fade? 

Yes, cocoa butter can fade dark scars and uneven skin tones. You have to continue using it for a couple of weeks before you get the results you’re aiming for. A little goes a long way. So, no need to be excessive with it. The cocoa butter in the stick or block form is usually a bit stronger and denser. This is the one you want for fading scars. It’s old school, but it works.

Does cocoa butter help with acne scars?

If you regularly use cocoa butter, a scar’s appearance may improve slightly, but it can be difficult to get rid of scars completely. You can, however, use a cocoa butter moisturizer to stop scars from drying out, and it will help to keep the skin supple.

Does cocoa butter help with hyperpigmentation?

Cocoa butter is known to be a great moisturizer or emollient. It’s mostly applied as a sun balm. Cocoa butter is also used to try to fade away dark marks or hyperpigmentation on the skin left behind after acne breaks out.

How long do acne scars last?

It usually takes 3-6 months for the marks to disappear. However, if you have a scar, you’re dealing with permanent skin damage that needs treatment in order to disappear. An acne scar changes the texture of the skin. If acne has left indentations or raised spots, the damage has occurred at a deeper level in the skin.

How long does it take for cocoa butter to heal scars?

You should start massage treatments two weeks after your surgery. Massage the area several times a day (as much as 10–20 times) for optimal results. As long as you continue this frequent massaging, your scar will improve for 12–18 months after your cosmetic surgery.

How often should you apply cocoa butter to scars?

2 or 3 times a day. Massage in a circular motion over the scar. Massage vertically across the scar. Massage horizontally across the scar. For best results, massage 2 or 3 times a day, for 10 minutes at a time.

Does Palmer’s cocoa butter fade scars?

Cocoa butter and Vitamin E make the perfect scar-busting duo in this lightweight, skin-softening oil. Use cocoa butter Skin Therapy Oil on your face, body, or both. Over time, you’ll notice that the oil is working to reduce the appearance of scars and improve the tone and feel of your skin.

Does cocoa butter help with dark scars?

Cocoa butter is a great moisturizer. It’s often used as an after-sun balm. It smells amazingly like a chocolate bar. Cocoa butter is also used to try to fade away dark marks on the skin, including those spots that acne breakouts leave behind.

Now it’s your turn

Depending on your type of scar, cocoa butter takes between 14 weeks and several months to fade scars. While your scar may not completely fade, its appearance will greatly improve.

The best cocoa butter products to use to improve your scars are Palmer’s cocoa butter scar serum, Palmer’s cocoa butter for stretch marks and Palmer’s skin therapy oil.

You can never go wrong with these products!

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AUTHOR
From chocolate craving to winter hot cocoa drinks indulgence - I've being through it all. In as much as I'm always learning about the awesomeness of cacao/cocoa beans, there's one thing I know for sure. Quality cocoa product always comes tops. The devil is in the details. That's why you should listen to me. I've done the research. I've made all the mistakes in the books. Yes, I'm just like you but I know a thing or two that can help you make a better choice.