Are silicone scar sheets FDA-cleared?

Silicone scar sheets are an FDA-classified device type (product code MDA, "Elastomer, Silicone, For Scar Management," Class 1). That does not mean every brand has its own clearance letter. We did not confirm one for the sheets on this page, so we do not call them FDA-cleared.

When should I start using a silicone scar sheet after surgery?

Not on day one. The hospital source behind this category (University of Mississippi Medical Center) places silicone scar treatment under its "2nd-8th Week - Wound Care" heading — after the steri-strip or surgical-glue phase, not before. Two other academic sources independently confirm a similar 1-2-week wait before starting any topical scar care, though they describe oil or lotion massage rather than silicone specifically.

Silicone scar sheets

Q: Do silicone scar sheets actually work?

The hospital source recommending them carries its own caveat: "Following the above recommendations is not a guarantee that your incision will be imperceptible and/or not produce a noticeable scar." Silicone sheet therapy is a real, FDA-regulated device category with hospital-attributed support, not a guaranteed cosmetic outcome.

By VerifiedCareData · How we check. Last checked October 12, 2026. Linked from the thyroid-surgery checklist.

Get the Mederma Silicone Scar Sheets, 4 Count below unless your incision is longer or more visible than a typical thyroidectomy scar. For a longer scar, the second pick is a larger sheet you cut to fit. Neither is a day-1 purchase. The hospital instruction behind this category places silicone scar treatment two to eight weeks after surgery, once your incision is past the steri-strip or surgical-glue phase.

Matched to one hospital's week-2-to-week-8 instructions and a typical thyroid scar length — how we choose →

2 picks we checked and linked

Our pick

Mederma Medical Grade Silicone Scar Sheets, 4 Count

$13.99 Amazon price, checked Oct 26, 2026

Four 1.4 x 3 inch sheets — long enough for a typical 1 to 2.5 inch surgical scar. The pick for most readers.

Best for: a standard 1 to 2.5 inch surgical scar, the range Cleveland Clinic names for a typical thyroidectomy incision.

Mederma is one of the two scar-sheet brands UMMC's thyroidectomy discharge page names as examples. The box holds four self-adhesive, medical-grade silicone sheets, each 1.4 x 3 inches, which covers a typical 1 to 2.5 inch thyroidectomy scar. The listing says each sheet can be cut to size, washed, and reused for up to 21 days, and that you start once the wound has closed and any scabs are gone. Sold by Amazon.

See the Mederma Silicone Scar Sheets, 4 Count on Amazon →

Smith & Nephew CICA-CARE Silicone Gel Sheet, 5 x 6 inches

$21.24 Amazon price, checked Oct 26, 2026

A larger 5 x 6 inch sheet you cut to fit — for a longer or more visible incision than a typical thyroidectomy scar.

Best for: a longer incision than the smaller sheets cover.

For a longer or more visible incision than the typical thyroidectomy scar. One 5 x 6 inch self-adhesive silicone gel sheet you cut to cover the scar with a small overlap; one person can wash and reuse it. From Smith & Nephew, a major wound-care maker. We have not checked an FDA clearance for this sheet.

See the Smith & Nephew CICA-CARE Sheet, 5 x 6 Inches on Amazon →

A third option, with more sheets per box: ScarAway Advanced Clear Silicone Scar Sheets, 1.5 x 3 inches, 10 Sheets. The listing says each sheet can be worn up to 10 days and cut to size. See the ScarAway sheets on Amazon →

What the hospital says

The hospital instruction

University of Mississippi Medical Center tells thyroid-surgery patients to wear silicone scar sheets at night for eight to ten weeks after surgery, under its week 2 to week 8 wound-care heading.

Its handout names Mederma as an example brand (spelled 'Merderma' on the page). Silicone scar sheets are an FDA-classified device type (product code MDA, 21 CFR 878.4025, Class 1).

Source: University of Mississippi Medical Center, ENT, Postoperative Care after Thyroidectomy or Parathyroidectomy

Timing, and a caveat

This is not a day-1 purchase. The same handout lists scar sheets under its "2nd-8th Week - Wound Care" heading, after the steri-strips or surgical glue are gone. It also warns about outcomes: "Following the above recommendations is not a guarantee that your incision will be imperceptible and/or not produce a noticeable scar."

This is an equipment and cost-coverage guide, not medical advice. It doesn't cover wound care, scar-revision options, or any clinical decision that should come from your surgeon — follow your own discharge instructions over anything here.

Go deeper

The full thyroid-surgery recovery checklist

The 2 things worth buying, and what we didn't recommend.

Signs of low calcium after thyroid surgery

Five independent hospitals name the same symptom pattern — what they say, word for word.

We earn a commission if you buy through the links above (Amazon Associates). It doesn't change the price you pay, and it doesn't change which products we picked — see our methodology.

Sources

University of Mississippi Medical Center, ENT, "Postoperative Care after Thyroidectomy or Parathyroidectomy" — source of the silicone-scar-sheet practice and week-2-through-8 timing window; read 2026-07-30
Cleveland Clinic, "Thyroidectomy (Thyroid Surgery): What It Is & Recovery" — source of the 1-2.5 inch typical scar-length citation used to size the medium pick; read 2026-07-30
FDA device classification database, product code MDA — silicone scar sheets are a Class 1 device type (21 CFR 878.4025); read 2026-07-30
CPSC and FDA recall records + Medicare product classification list (Palmetto GBA DMECS) — no recalls found for scar sheets, silicone sheets, Mederma, Cica-Care or ScarAway; Medicare has no billing code for this category
Pick changes — Updated October 12, 2026: the Embrace sheets we used to recommend could no longer be bought on Amazon, so we replaced them
Amazon product listings — We check each Amazon price and whether it is in stock every night. A price only shows if it was checked in the last 24 hours.