Scarban

Scarban is a Dutch brand of medical silicone products for the treatment and prevention of scars, made up of self-adhesive silicone sheets, a silicone gel and a set of pre-shaped dressings for specific parts of the body. It belongs to BAP Medical BV, a medical-device company headquartered in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands [14], and its products are manufactured in Belgium by ScarPro, a silicone specialist that BAP Medical took full ownership of in 2020 [10].

The brand sits closer to medicine than to cosmetics. Its products are aimed at raised, thickened and itchy scars left by surgery, burns or injury, and they are marketed to patients and healthcare professionals alike under the tagline "Silicone therapy, the gold standard" [1]. Scarban remains active and says its products are distributed in more than 40 countries [13].

The year Scarban was launched, and the people behind it, are not publicly documented. What the company does say about its origins is that the product line was developed in collaboration with university hospitals in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France, although the hospitals themselves are not named [14].

The brand's history is closely tied to that of its owner. BAP Medical was established in 2006 by the Dutch entrepreneur Rob Hollweg [7], and it has offered products for the aftercare of damaged skin since then. That date belongs to the parent company, not to Scarban itself. BAP Medical describes Scarban as "another success story" within its portfolio, alongside Alhydran, a medical cream for compromised skin that it developed with the University of Ghent in Belgium.

Scarban's manufacturer has a longer track record in silicone than the brand's public history suggests. According to BAP Medical, ScarPro has specialised in producing medical silicone products for more than two decades, working from a research, development and production site in Aalter, Belgium [7].

Much of what is known about Scarban's history comes from a short run of announcements in November 2020, which together reshaped how the brand was made and sold.

On 6 November 2020, BAP Medical introduced Scarban C-Section, a pre-shaped silicone dressing designed for scars left by a caesarean delivery [11]. The company pointed to European guidelines recommending that silicone therapy start as early as possible when a scar develops abnormally, or when a patient is worried about it. The dressing was sold as a recovery kit, allowing patients to begin treatment on their own at home.

Three days later, on 9 November 2020, BAP Medical announced that it had become the 100% owner of ScarPro, the producer of Scarban's silicone dressings and gel [10]. In the same announcement, Scarban was described as BAP Medical's fourth own brand. The company framed the deal as part of a strategy to become a global producer and supplier of scientifically backed products for "skin in distress", and said that the acquisition made it the market leader for medical silicone scar products in the Netherlands. The takeover also brought manufacturing in-house: from then on, the brand's owner controlled both the product and the factory that made it.

A later step came in the United Kingdom. Espère Healthcare, a medical-device distributor that had sold Scarban and other BAP Medical products in the UK for many years, became part of the BAP Medical group and now trades as BAP Medical UK Limited [5]. The UK company says it is "changing our name – not our heritage". No date for the change is given.

Scarban is owned by BAP Medical BV of Apeldoorn, which also runs the brand's head office and distribution centre [2]. BAP Medical describes itself as a company engaged in the development, manufacturing and distribution of medical devices for patients and medical professionals. According to the company, the letters BAP stand for "Best Available Practices (in Healthcare)".

Within the group, Scarban sits in the post-burn and scar-care part of the portfolio. Alhydran is the brand most often paired with it: the UK Scarban site suggests combining Scarban C-Section with Alhydran scar cream, describing the cream as hydrating and soothing while the silicone does the scar treatment. BAPSCARCARE is another scar-care line named by BAP Medical.

Production takes place at ScarPro in Aalter, Belgium, which has been wholly owned by BAP Medical since 2020. The UK Scarban site describes the brand as owned by a Dutch company and produced in the EU.

Scarban's positioning rests on the idea that silicone is the established first choice in professional scar care. The company says the scar-reducing effect of silicone is backed by science, and that this is why medical silicone sheets have become the preferred therapy in professional scar treatment. On its Dutch-language news pages, BAP Medical has gone further, quoting silicone scar products such as Scarban as the "gold standard" in scientific guidelines worldwide.

BAP Medical describes two requirements it sets for its products: they must actually have an effect, and the way they work must be supported by science. It says it develops products together with patients and practitioners, with the aim of adding value for both patients and doctors. The parent company's stated mission is to give patients worldwide access to the finest tools for treating their medical conditions.

The brand also leans on professional endorsement. According to BAP Medical, Scarban dressings are the most frequently recommended dressings in the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) [6], and a 2020 news post called Scarban the most prescribed silicone dressing in the Netherlands. These are the company's own descriptions of its market position.

Scarban's range is built around medical-grade silicone in two forms: sheets that are stuck onto the scar, and a gel that is spread over it. Both work in a similar way. According to the company, the silicone forms a protective layer that reduces the skin's moisture loss through the scar, which in turn helps the scar settle and repair.

The sheet range comes in two main thicknesses. Scarban Elastic is a thick, reusable sheet, 1.4 mm deep, which the company says keeps the scar tissue well hydrated. Scarban Light is an extra-thin, more flexible version intended for areas that move a lot, such as elbows and knees. BAP Medical says the two work equally well, and that the choice between them depends mainly on where on the body the sheet will be used. Both can be cut to size, are self-adhesive and can be washed daily with a cleaning lotion supplied in the pack.

Alongside these sit several shaped products for particular situations:

- Scarban C-Section, a pre-shaped, reusable dressing for caesarean scars, supplied in a recovery kit with a cleaning lotion. - Scarban Elastic Mamma, ready-made dressings for scars after breast reduction, enlargement or reconstruction. - Scarban hand and finger bandages, intended for abnormal scars after injury or surgery, including Dupuytren surgery.

For scars in visible places, such as the face, neck and hands, the brand offers Scarban Velvet Touch, a quick-drying silicone gel that the company says can be worn under make-up.

The brand lists a wide range of uses on its website, from surgical, burn and keloid scars (raised scars that grow beyond the original wound) to atrophic scars and stretch marks. Its benefit claims are consistent across its sites: Scarban says complaints such as itching and pain ease or disappear within a few days, and that scars become flatter, more flexible and less red within two to four months. The company also states that the products work on both old and recent scars.

On evidence, Scarban says its effectiveness has been shown in a multicentre study involving 224 patients [9]. The study is not identified by name on the brand's scientific-evidence page, which otherwise lists publications on silicone therapy in general. In its answer to a question about side effects, the brand states that there are currently no known side effects of its silicone sheets [12].

Scarban is an active brand. Its English-language and Dutch websites were still being updated in 2026, and BAP Medical continues to present it as one of its core scar-care lines. The brand operates country sites for the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, sells through its owner's national companies and online retailers, and says its silicone products reach more than 40 countries [13]. No third-party certifications, awards or independent press coverage of the brand are documented.