What about . . .

My friend recommended it. I saw it online. What do you think?

Almost every week, someone brings a new treatment into the clinic conversation.

“My friend told me about this…”

“I saw this online…”

“Have you heard of this?”

Sometimes I have. Sometimes I haven’t. If I haven’t, I’ll look it up.

And then there are the recommendations from friends. These can be particularly difficult because they usually come from exactly the right place: someone cares about you and wants to help. And if something worked brilliantly for them or someone they know, of course they want to tell you about it.

The problem is that their scar isn’t your scar. One person saying, “I used this and my scar disappeared” is one person’s experience. In research terms, an individual case is very low-level evidence. It may be interesting, but it doesn’t tell us what will happen to your scar.

I completely understand why people keep looking. If you have a scar that impacts you, of course you want to know what else is out there. But constantly searching for the next treatment can become exhausting and confusing. I sometimes describe it as “chasing the dragon” – always wondering whether the next product, machine or treatment might be the one.

But I don’t want to discourage that curiosity. I’m curious too.

LPG, or endermologie, is a good example from my own career. Many years ago, while spending time in a specialist burns and scar rehabilitation centre in France, I saw French physiotherapists using it. It wasn’t something we were using for scars in the UK and, at that time, there wasn’t an evidence base to tell me that it was an effective scar treatment.

But I could see potential in what I was observing clinically.

So rather than dismissing it because there wasn’t yet evidence, I explored it. I learnt about it, began using it, watched what happened clinically and followed the evidence as it developed. It has been a long journey. I now use LPG extensively in my own scar practice and, over the years, I have also been involved in helping to bring it into scar rehabilitation in some NHS burns services and other settings.

I tell you that because “there isn’t enough evidence yet” and “this doesn’t work” are not necessarily the same thing. New treatments have to start somewhere.

But the opposite matters too: new, popular or heavily promoted doesn’t necessarily mean effective.

That’s why, when someone asks me “What about…?”, my answer depends on what the “…” is. It may be something with good evidence behind it. It may be promising but still experimental. It may be popular despite having little evidence. Or it may be something that, from what we currently know, is unlikely to help or could be harmful.

And then there is another question: is it right for your scar?

Every scar is different. Its age, cause, location, depth, healing history, your skin, your health, other treatments you’ve had and what you are actually trying to change can all affect whether a particular treatment makes sense. A photograph online can’t tell you all of that.

Today we also have incredibly powerful ways of finding information, including AI. That’s useful, but finding information isn’t quite the same as knowing how much weight to give it for your situation.

So if you find something interesting, my advice isn’t to dismiss it.

Hold it lightly.

Bring it to someone who really understands scars. Scar specialists should be keeping up with developments, reading research, attending conferences and learning from colleagues. And if your clinician hasn’t heard of something, I think openness matters too: “I don’t know about that yet. Let me look into it” may be a very good answer.

And perhaps give yourself permission not to try every new treatment, product or fad that comes your way.

Be curious. Ask questions. Look for evidence. Stay open-minded. But you don’t have to chase every dragon.