Mederma Advanced Scar Gel {Review & Giveaway - 5 winners!}

While every mother wants to look at her children and think that they are near-perfect, I find myself fretting over the knowledge that both of my girls have unnecessary flaws.

Unfortunately, Big Sister E had to have surgery at four months old to fix an issue that the doctors caught with her kidney (it all turned out great), resulting in a 2-inch scar on her lower back. As for Little Sister B, I love that she's a fearless daredevil, but not when it ends up with she and I at Urgent Care on a Saturday night because she split her chin on the bathroom sink. Her result? Also a scar, albeit much smaller, but in a more noticeable location.

I have no worries about either scar affecting my daughters' self-esteem or future endeavors, but, being their mom, of course I want to do all that I can to minimize the mark on each of them in an effort to erase it as much as possible.

Which is why I was more than interested to hear about the latest product from the #1 doctor- and pharmacist-recommended brand for scars, Mederma, and put their Mederma Advanced Scar Gel right to the test.

There are multiple products on the market that claim to reduce the appearance of scars but most require multiple applications per day, making them difficult to remember or fit into your busy lifestyle. Instead, Mederma, the leader in scar management for more than a decade, recognized that scar therapy isn't always convenient – until now.

New Mederma Advanced Scar Gel is the first and only topical scar gel clinically shown to improve the appearance of scars with just one application daily. The innovative formula helps to improve the color and texture of old and new scars, while softening, smoothing and reducing their overall appearance.

Combining the fact that Mederma's products are known to work on a wide variety of scars (e.g. from cuts, surgery, acne or burns) with the idea that this Advanced Scar Gel can have results in just eight weeks with only one application daily led to us pulling out this small tube to get started immediately!

Taking a peek at the clear gel inside, I was happy to find that it had a very light, flowery scent and that it felt clean and non-sticky on my finger.

But could it lessen the appearance of my girls' scars? We were ready to take the eight week challenge and see for ourselves.

So, day after day, we took a total of about one minute to rub a small application of Advanced Scar Gel on Little Sister B's chin and on Big Sister E's back, thoroughly coating each area and letting it dry. They were more than happy to help remind my husband and I in case we forgot and each of them seemed just as eager to see what two months would bring.

When it finally came time to compare the Before and After photos, we found that there was definitely a difference with Little Sister B and how much less noticeable the scar on her chin was:

I'm absolutely thrilled seeing that her scar is much lighter and that although it hasn't been completely erased, it is much less prominent, defined and apparent. I'm extremely happy about the difference!

With Big Sister E, there wasn't as much of a huge change, which is what I had expected. After all, her scar is five years old and is from a complete cut into and through her skin. Mederma does recommend using their Advanced Scar Gel once daily for eight weeks for new scars and 3-6 months on existing scars, so hopefully after a longer period of time we will see more of an impact.

We are continuing to apply Mederma Advanced Scar Gel to both girls and look forward seeing even more results as time passes. Although I can't yet vouch for a major improvement on long-term scars, I wholeheartedly recommend this gel for new scars and will be sure to use it on any future marks that my family receives.

Mederma Advanced Scar Gel is available now in two sizes: a 0.7 oz tube which retails for around $20 and a 1.76 oz tube which sells for around $32. Look for them in the first aid aisle of drug stores and mass merchandisers nationwide, as well as online retailers like Amazon.com and drugstore.com. Also be sure to print off a coupon from Mederma before you head to the store!

The perfect addition to this magical gel? Mederma's Advanced Confidence Survival Kit, which allows me to know that I'm prepared anywhere and everywhere to always be looking my best. With everything you need (e.g. safety pins, a sewing kit, a mirror and more) to solve beauty mishaps of all kinds, this is one kit to keep with you when you're out... not worrying about your scar, thanks to Mederma!

If you or a member of your family has a scar and you'd like to reduce its appearance, Mederma Advanced Scar Gel is the product for you. Anyone can fit a single application into their busy schedule and the results speak for themselves and will have you feeling good in no time.

Thanks to the generosity of Mederma, five people will soon be on their way to seeing why doctors, pharmacists and I fully recommend this gel as well, because...

Five lucky people will win (1) tube of Mederma Advanced Scar Gel... and one lucky person will also receive an Advanced Confidence Survival Kit along with it!

(Enter with the Rafflecopter form below - if you don't see the form, click here! If you have any problems entering, there is a video tutorial found here that can help.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A big thank you to Mederma for providing an Advanced Confidence Survival Kit and two tubes of Mederma Advanced Scar Gel for me to review as well as prizes for five lucky giveaway winners. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.