Centella gel for healing after laser resurfacing

Thirty people having laser resurfacing for acne scars applied a gel containing 0.05% standardised centella extract to one side of the face and an identical placebo gel to the other, with neither they nor the assessors knowing which was which. Redness measured by instrument was lower on the treated side, and doctors grading the skin found it better at days 2, 4 and 7. This is the best-designed study of topical centella in existence, because it tested centella by itself against a matched placebo on the same person. Read the size of the result carefully, though. The redness difference was 0.03 units, with a statistical range that came within a whisker of no effect at all. Texture showed only a trend, and the instrument measures of skin properties showed no difference. The authors concluded the extract might be an option — which is appropriately modest.