I don’t know if you recall, but I do very well when a few years ago Heal Gel was one of the most blogged products. The UK seemed like a perilous place, where hot cooking oil drops down from the sky, and people stab each other in the streets. That’s the impression you were getting after so many British bloggers claimed to have fallen victim of either hot oil or sharp objects. Thanks to Heal Gel they all came out of it without any scars. Intrigued by the reviews, I wanted to try the product. Who wouldn’t, if it’s so magical?! So I ordered a bottle. How lucky I was, a stray cat scratched me, which left me with a prominent mark on my hand. Fortunately for me, I was equipped with Heal Gel. Did it do something? Well, not much more than a regular hand cream would… However, about half a year later I burned myself while cooking. I went to a pharmacy in pursuit of a product that would help to diminish the scar. A very nice pharmacist offered me Contractubex, a gel that is supposed to treat your scars – and it does, indeed. 

Contractubex is a medicinal product, developed by a German pharmaceutical company – Merz. The main three ingredients of this product are allantoin, onion extract, sodium heparin which were mixed together in order to heal scars. I had heard that allantoin and onions are good for scarring, though never used them together until I tried Contractubex. For me, it works wonders when it comes to healing scars. After using it once a day, for four weeks, scars are almost non-existent. Naturally, it’s best to apply it twice a day and for a longer period of time, but better something than nothing. I even recommend it to my family and friends after surgeries, and they are pleased with Contractubex more than with silicone creams that doctors offer. Of course, if you plan to treat surgical scars with anything, consult your doctor first. I use it for any type of scars, even for acne marks (if I have a tube around), as it helps to lighten them up. It works when I burn myself by touching a hot pan, splash oil on my skin (it also helps with the fiery sensation) or cut myself badly with a sharp object. Any wound that may leave a scar, I treat with Contractubex.

There are a few research papers that prove the effectiveness of this product. However, many are sponsored by Merz, like this one. There is also a paper comparing Contractubex to Kelo-cote gel, which is more expensive, though it didn’t prove to be more efficacious. (The product was tested on rats, not humans; supported by Wonkwang University, I don’t think Merz was involved in this). 

I find Contractubex effective in scar treatment, as well as many people around me. If you have flat scars and you look for a product that may help you, I would give this one a try. Generally, they have to be fresh, if you know what I mean. It won’t do much or anything for old scars. I cannot promise you it will work 100%, but I am sure you will notice a difference. Besides, I cannot guarantee that it will help with all types of scars, especially deep ones or pitted acne scarring. It’s just not for that, and I don’t want to disappoint you. 

Ingredients:

1 gram of gel contains: 50 IU heparin, 100 mg onion extract, 10 mg allantoin. 

Inactive ingredients: sorbic acid, p-methylhydroxybenzoate, xanthine gum, polyethylene glycol 200, fragrance (231616), distilled water (the outer box)

It has a consistency of a light gel and absorbs quickly. Although there is fragrance added, I can’t detect anything disturbing.

The Contractubex gel is available across the globe as an OTC gel. Here are a few of my trusted online retailers that sell this product:

Worldwide: sasa.com

All of the pharmacies and shops offer different sizes, smaller or larger, though they vary depending on the market. For the sake of comparison, I’ve picked a format that is available from all retailers. I usually buy 20 g tubes, and one tube lasts me a long time with my once in a while usage. There are also Contratubex patches, but I have never used them.

Update 28/12/2020: I am mortified to say that there was a mistake in my original review of the Contractubex product. The same company produces Contratubex and Mederma, and they have similar ingredients, but not the same. One of my Instagram mates has told me that Mederma does not contain heparin, one of the active ingredients. I apologise to everyone who bought Mederma after reading my review and did not see significant results.