Mederma® Wear Your Skin Proudly™ Survey Reveals Men and Women have Complex and Often Differing Feelings about how their Skin Imperfections Impact their Appearance and Confidence

GREENSBORO, N.C., Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mederma^® today announced the results of the second Mederma^® Wear Your Skin Proudly™ survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, which revealed men and women have very different views when it comes to skin imperfections and their impact on self-confidence. The survey found that most U.S. men and women aged 18 and older (67 percent) are generally happy with their physical appearance; however, 44 percent of women felt that improving the appearance of their skin imperfections such as scars and stretch marks would help improve their overall self-confidence, compared with only 25 percent of men. These findings are similar to sentiments expressed by U.S. women when the survey was originally commissioned in 2010, indicating that attitudes towards appearance and self-confidence remain largely unchanged.

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"Even among men and women who are happy with their overall appearance, visible scars and stretch marks can have a negative impact on their self-confidence," said body image expert, Robyn Silverman, PhD. "This is especially true among women." Survey results further showed that men and women differed greatly about the extent to which their scars and stretch marks affect how they feel about themselves. Women in particular are more self-conscious about the appearance of their scars and stretch marks, with 33 percent reporting that their scars and stretch marks negatively affect their self-confidence, while only 19 percent of men feel this way. Additionally, 47 percent of women surveyed aged 18 and older have tried to hide their scar(s) and/or stretch marks from others, compared with only 23 percent of men.

Low self-confidence related to skin imperfections can also impact other areas of women's lives. "In the Mederma^® Wear Your Skin Proudly™ survey, 34 percent of women reported that their scar(s) and/or stretch marks would make them feel self-conscious during intimate moments with their partner, compared to only 20 percent of men," said Dr. Silverman.

For those who feel self-conscious, there are products available to help improve the appearance of skin imperfections such as scars and stretch marks, including the Mederma^® family of products. Mederma^® Advanced Scar Gel is the first and only 1X daily scar product clinically shown to improve the overall appearance, color and texture of scars when used for eight weeks on new scars. Mederma^® Stretch Marks Therapy is clinically shown to improve the overall appearance of stretch marks by reducing discoloration, improving texture and enhancing softness in 12 weeks, with noticeable improvement as soon as four weeks.

"While skin imperfections can sometimes have a negative effect on self-esteem, some may find that improving the appearance of scars and stretch marks can make them feel more confident," said Dr. Silverman. "Mederma^® helps these men and women improve skin imperfections that have made them feel self-conscious, which, in turn, can help them to feel more confident about their bodies."

About Mederma^®

The Mederma^® family of products, including Mederma^® Advanced Scar Gel, Mederma^® Scar Cream plus SPF 30, Mederma^® for Kids™ and Mederma^® Stretch Marks Therapy, has a long tradition of visible improvement in the appearance of scars and stretch marks when used as directed. The #1 doctor- and pharmacist-recommended brand for scars, Mederma^® helps reduce the appearance of scars resulting from surgery, injury, burns, and acne, making them softer, smoother, and less noticeable. To learn more, visit www.mederma.com, and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Mederma.

About Merz

Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC is a part of the Merz Group of companies and was established in 1995 to develop and commercialize products for the Merz Group. Areas of therapeutic focus include Neurology, Physiatry, Dermatology, and Podiatry.

With over a century of heritage, the Merz Group is known worldwide for its development of original compounds and formulations for medical professionals and consumers in 90 countries. Globally, Merz is a leader in the development of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of neurological and psychological disorders as well as for aesthetic medicine. Global research is concentrated in fields that have a strong need for therapeutic innovation such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, tinnitus, chronic pain conditions, addictions, and neuromuscular disturbances.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll^® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment.  Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About the Mederma^® Wear Your Skin Proudly™ Survey

The Mederma^® Wear Your Skin Proudly™ survey was commissioned by Merz Pharmaceuticals on behalf of its Mederma^® brand to assess how men and women perceive their skin imperfections and how those imperfections, such as scars and stretch marks, can impact overall body confidence. This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Merz Pharmaceuticals from November 15-19, 2012 among 2,083 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

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SOURCE Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC