One problem of any cosmetic surgery is that of scarring, both internal and external. Internal scars can cause a range of problems, from discomfort through to more serious issues such as bowel blockages.

Although surgeons do their best to prevent adhesions, they are not always successful. To help reduce adhesions following surgery, a new product, Seprafilm, can be used.

Seprafilm is an adhesion barrier which can help separate tissue and organs as the body heals after surgery. Seprafilm is made up of chemically modified sugars (sodium hyaluronate and carboxymethylcellulose), some of which naturally occur in the human body. The film sticks to the tissue that it is applied to. As the tissues begin to repair themselves, the film turns into a gel and over the course of the next seven days, the gel is absorbed into the body.

Clinical trials have shown that patients who have had Seprafilm used during their surgeries are far less likely to suffer from adhesions after their surgery, and of those patients who did suffer from adhesions, those who had had Seprafilm had less severe adhesions that were of a smaller size. The overall rate of other complications associated with surgery were not statistically different between those patients who were given Seprafilm and those who hadn’t.