What Is The Best Manuka Honey For Scars?

EDUCATION

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Essential Takeaways

Manuka honey helps create the right conditions for scars to heal naturally and become less prominent. It provides antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties that keep out nasties while locking in hydration, moisturising, and softening the skin.

Not only can it help with general scarring from wounds, but it's also useful in supporting the recovery of acne scars, burns and more.

If you’re considering which manuka honey to buy for scars, make sure to go for a high-grade UMF™ certified product to ensure that what you're buying is effective. Anything above a UMF™ 10+ is considered medical grade but the higher the better.

Disclaimer: New Zealand Honey Co. always aims to use only the most credible scientific research and up-to-date studies. That said, please consult a professional before using any non-medical treatments for personal use and medical purposes (even natural ones).

Can sweet, delicious manuka honey help to heal scars on your body?

If so, how does it work? And what does the evidence say?

Honey is mentioned as a medicinal substance¹ in some of the world’s oldest medical books. Manuka honey, in particular, has long stood out for its superior antibacterial properties².

This has made people curious about its potential in wound healing…

Could manuka honey really be a natural answer to managing and minimising scars?

Let’s take a closer look.

In this guide to using manuka honey for scars:

What causes scars?
What does the science say about manuka honey for scars?
How to use manuka honey for scars
Where to buy top-grade manuka honey for scars

What Causes Scars?

Scars develop when our bodies are healing themselves. Scar tissue is produced to repair the damage caused by physical trauma to the skin and underlying tissue. As our cells regenerate and our skin reconnects, scars grow in the place of the wound.

Our skin goes through four different phases³ as it scars and heals itself:

Inflammation: The healing process starts with inflammation, where blood clots form and special cells called macrophages⁴ move in to clean out damaged tissue and fight any harmful bacteria.
Vascularity: Next, the body increases blood flow to the injured area, providing extra nutrients and protection. Vascularity⁵ is the body’s way of surrounding the traumatised area with what it needs to start healing.
Fibroplasia: In the third phase, the body produces more fibroblasts and collagen, which are cells that help rebuild and strengthen the damaged area, reconnecting the weakened bonds.
Maturation: Finally, the collagen matures. The temporary type 3 collagen from earlier stages is replaced by stronger type 1 collagen6, which is found in healthy skin.

When a damaged area of skin is properly looked after, wounds can recover to become up to 80% as healthy as they would originally have been⁶.

While there are often scars remaining, and it’s difficult to achieve 100% recovery, there are things we can do to support our own healing processes.

What Does The Science Say About Manuka Honey for Scars?

Manuka honey can support the body’s natural healing processes at each stage to help wounds recover with minimal scarring. This starts with cleaning the wound environment and creating the right conditions for rapid healing.

Once the initial damage has been treated, manuka honey provides a few important functions to help scars heal:

Manuka honey is antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal, keeping the wound clean and healthy while the body gets to work. This may prevent infection from getting in and multiplying.
Manuka honey provides humectant properties that keep the wound moist and support rapid recovery.
Manuka honey is anti-inflammatory and balances pH levels, giving the body more of what it needs to heal fast.

Let’s take a closer look.

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Can manuka honey heal scars?

As we have previously explored, scars need a few things to form in a healthy manner at each stage of the recovery process. Scar formation is a normal part of wound healing, and one of the best ways to minimise scarring is to ensure that the healing process goes smoothly.

Our bodies can usually provide what we need to heal scars on their own. However, manuka honey can help by providing support and nutrients that boost the body’s internal processes.

“...evidence shows that honey, particularly manuka honey, eliminates bacteria, resolves chronic inflammation, and promotes faster wound healing.

As such, honey is a valuable addition to many tissue engineering templates in eliminating bacterial infection, aiding in inflammation resolution, and improving tissue integration...”

- Source⁷

Read more: manuka honey wound care: will it help you to recover?

Manuka honey is better for wounds and scars than other honey types

Do you know why manuka honey is particularly famous?

It comes down to its unique antibacterial properties. Unlike other types of honey, which get their antibacterial activity from the presence of hydrogen peroxide, manuka contains high levels of a naturally occurring compound called methylglyoxal (or MGO for short).

And whilst MGO is an important part of what makes manuka honey so effective for scarring, it also contains many other natural compounds that support your body.

1 ingredient. 2000+ natural compounds.

These antibacterial properties are so unique, in fact, that the UMF™ grading system was introduced to measure just how concentrated these levels were in manuka honey.

This system ensures that consumers know they are buying authentic manuka honey. It also gives buyers clarity over just how potent the level of antibacterial activity is in that particular product.

The UMF™ grade corresponds directly with the concentration of MGO in the batch. But it also measures a range of other chemical markers to ensure that you’re buying a legitimate, unadulterated, fresh, trustworthy product.

Our range of manuka honey starts at UMF™ 10+ | MGO 263+ and goes all the way up to UMF™ 28+ | MGO 1450+.

Shop the range here.

Manuka honey and chronic inflammation

Studies⁷ have found manuka honey to be effective in reducing inflammation by balancing pH levels, debriding wounds and promoting the natural processes of fibroblast infiltration and collagen production.

Its natural sugars have an osmotic effect, drawing out water from swelling, which keeps it down, and from bacterial cells, preventing them from multiplying.

It has even become a valuable tool in tissue engineering and regeneration⁷.

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Manuka honey for burn scars

Burns can vary in severity from first to fourth degree⁸. The terms 'first', 'second', 'third', and 'fourth-degree' refer to the depth of the damaged layers of skin.

First-degree burns are usually treatable at home⁹. They are minor, outer-layer injuries. Second-degree burns may require medical attention, while third and fourth-degree burns certainly need specialist attention and follow-up care.

A burn injury ultimately requires the same healing process as a non-burn injury. Cells flood the area to clean and hydrate it, rebuilding healthy tissues and strengthening the new bonds.

Skin needs to be hydrated, protected from infection, and kept sterile. As evidence suggests, these are all important.

The good news is that manuka honey can do all of this, and it’s often used to help burn wounds recover with less scarring.

Note: Always consult a doctor before using any treatment on burns, especially if you have a third or fourth-degree burn.

Manuka honey on acne scars

In our guide to finding the best manuka honey for acne, we talk about how manuka honey can be used with acne to naturally support recovery (and therefore reduce the amount of scarring that occurs).

Acne is a type of inflammation, so the skin requires the same treatment to heal. Ensuring plenty of hydration (which also prevents itching and the temptation to make scars worse) and keeping the surface clear of nasties and contaminants with balanced pH levels can reduce redness.

How To Use Manuka Honey For Scars?

The most popular method of using manuka honey for scars is a simple topical treatment. Clean your hands and tidy up the area, then apply the honey directly to the scar to add hydration and nutrients.

One way to make this easier and minimise the mess is to apply the honey to a dressing first and wrap it around the affected area.

Tip: an occlusive dressing¹⁰ works best so the honey doesn’t seep out!

You can leave the honey on for as long as you like, changing the dressing as necessary. Look for pus and seepage, as these can indicate early signs of a deeper problem or infection.

The earlier you apply manuka honey, the better your scar will heal. So keep these tips in mind next time you need to fix a wound, burn, or serious acne problem.

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Manuka honey mask for acne scars

Manuka honey masks are a great way to not only administer a topical natural treatment, but also indulge and create a relaxing experience!

Are you interested? Check out these recipes:

Where To Buy Top-Grade Manuka Honey for Scars

So there you have it. Your wound needs plenty of moisture, protection from bacteria, and increased collagen production to help minimise scarring and maximise healing.

Evidence suggests that manuka honey may be able to provide all of these things.

The key to healing scars is effective action as early as possible, and this means putting the right products on your skin.

If you decide to try manuka honey, make sure to:

Buy from a trustworthy supplier with strong credentials (we are UMF™ certified, independently tested, GMO-free, glyphosate residue-free, NZ-made, halal and kosher).
Get the highest UMF™ grade of honey that your budget allows (the higher the grade, the more potent it is - our range starts at UMF™ 10+ and goes all the way up to UMF™ 28+, which is one of the highest grades you can possibly buy).
Make sure that you are buying a traceable product (honey is one of the most faked foods in the world. To ensure you’re getting the real deal, check that your manuka honey back be traced back to the source. Every batch of our honey can be easily traced using this handy tool on our website).