Dermaclara is an anti-aging brand that sells silicone patches. These patches are applied to various parts of the skin, and the company claims their product line "boosts skin elasticity and hydration."

But are silicone patches shown in research studies to have anti-aging effects? Do the patches contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is Dermaclara better than Frownies? And why do we take issue with claims on the brand's website?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on topical silicone to give our take on whether or not Dermaclara is likely to have an anti-aging effect.

We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, compare Dermaclara to Frownies, and highlight some questionable health claims on the brand's website.

Key takeaways:

• We can't identify any evidence of long-term anti-aging effects
• Healthier ingredients list than Frownies
• We do not currently recommend Dermaclara

Does Silicone Reduce Wrinkles?

There have been clinical studies testing the effects of topical silicone on wrinkles and skin health.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology examined whether topical silicone patches could reduce wrinkles.

The study authors found that silicone patches resulted in a temporary (up to 60 minute) reduction in wrinkles, but no long-term effect was noted.

Silicone is also clinically shown to reduce wrinkles when implanted in the skin (during a cosmetic procedure), as we documented in our review of another silicone patch brand called Wrinkles Schminkles.

Silicone patches were shown to be effective against scarring in a 2015 medical review, which suggests that this product could be effective in consumers with stretch marks (which is a type of scar).

Overall, we can't find any clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals suggesting that topical silicone patches reduce wrinkles or improve skin quality long-term in individuals without scarring.

Questionable Health Claims

There are a number of health claims on the Dermaclara website we consider unscientific and/or disagree with.

The brand claims their products are "Scientifically Proven" without any proof provided:

image source: dermaclara.com

We cannot find any clinical trials on Dermaclara, nor is this claim cited, so we strongly disagree with this claim.

The brand also cites clinical results without sourcing those results whatsoever:

image source: dermaclara.com

Typically, in our experience, even if such results are based on a company-funded clinical trial published privately, the results will at least be cited somewhere.

The Dermaclara website also hosts a graphic image suggesting how their "Occlusion Patches" work:

image source: dermaclara.com

The associated text claims these patches "can dramatically decrease & prevent the appearance of fine lines...wrinkles" without providing any proof.

We consider this type of marketing strategy to be a sign of a low-quality brand.

Dermaclara vs. Frownies

Frownies is another anti-aging face patch brand, so consumers are often curious about whether it's more or less effective than Dermaclara.

As we documented in our Frownies reviews article, Frownies uses adhesive material rather than silicone, and we haven't come across any clinical evidence that adhesive material has any long-term positive effects on skin.

Frownies also contained an ingredient in the past called methyl salicylate which is clinically shown to be toxic.

Since the publication of our review, Frownies removed the mention of methyl salicylate from their ingredient list, but it's unclear whether or not it's still included in their materials.

Overall, we consider Dermaclara to be a vastly superior option to Frownies, because it has no questionable additive ingredients (the only ingredient in Dermaclara is medical-grade silicone), and its material is clinically shown to be effective against scars.

Will Dermaclara Cause Side Effects?

Dermaclara doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals, which makes it more challenging to assess the risk of side effects.

However, we can make an educated guess based on its material.

We have not come across any clinical evidence that medical-grade silicone is harmful when applied topically, and this material has a range of other dermatological uses (as documented in this 2023 medical review).

Overall, we do not consider Dermaclara likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals.

The brand's FAQ page states that individuals allergic to silicone or sensitive to adhesives should avoid use of the product.

Dermaclara Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Should be effective for stretch marks
• Should be effective for other types of scarring
• Unlikely to cause side effects
• Reusable
• Topical silicone is clinically tested

Cons:

• We can't find clinical backing for benefits in individuals without scarring
• Questionable health claims on brand's website

Conclusion

Dermaclara may be a great option for consumers with stretch marks, because topical silicone is clinically shown to be effective against scarring, and this brand uses 100% medical-grade silicone.

We can't find any convincing clinical evidence that topical silicone is effective against wrinkles unrelated to scarring, so we think consumers looking for an anti-aging effect on the face may be disappointed.

The anecdotal evidence we came across while researching this article supported these findings (the user who had stretch marks had a positive experience and the user without did not).

We consider Dermaclara to be a greatly superior alternative to Frownies, because of the material used. Frownies has an active ingredient that we can't find any clinical backing for, and also previously contained an ingredient that may be harmful.

We do not consider Dermaclara likely to cause side effects.

There are a number of uncited and (in our opinion) unscientific claims on the Dermaclara website.