Information about Scars
There are a couple of different types of scars that can form after an injury. A variety of uncontrollable factors, such as age, gender, or skin color can affect how a scar forms. Although good wound care practices can help reduce the severity of scaring.
How a scar is formed
Scars are formed during the healing process after an injury to the skin. Collagen fibers fill the area that was damaged in order to knit the layers of the skin back together. When the collagen first forms it is very disorganized, (like this #&%@:*$) but over time the collagen fibers become organized (like this =======) causing the scar to shrink and fade.
Factors affecting scars
Scaring is an unavoidable part of the healing process. There are no 100% sure methods to avoid getting scars, except for preventing the injury from happening in the first place. There are a number of factors involved in how bad a scar will be. Some are uncontrollable, such as skin color, age, and gender. Some factors can be controlled, such as general health, and how the wound is looked after. The best way to reduce scaring after a wound is to practice proper wound care, including dressing wounds, preventing infection and having wounds evaluated for stitches. Wounds that become infected will almost always scar worse than non-infected wounds. Interfering with healing wounds will also cause an increase in how sever a scar is.
Types of scars
Normal Scaring
It is normal for a scar to form after any injury that affects the skin. And because the type of scar depends on the severity of the original wound and the person with the wound, normal has a lot of meanings. Some scars may be raised above the surface, while others, especially acne scars, may be sunken. Some scars are darker than the skin, and some are lighter. Generally scars start off dark and lighten the older they are.
Hypertrophic Scaring
A hypertrophic scar is a scar that forms when the body over produces collagen around the wound site, but stops producing collagen after the wound is healed. This produces a large, raised scar that can take many years to fade. Hypertrophic scars will eventually fade as the collagen is restructured, but they may always be raised above the level of the skin. Some hypertrophic scars are also very dark in addition to being raised.
Keloid Scaring
A keloid scar is a scar that forms when the body keeps producing collagen around the wound site even after the wound is healed. Keloid scars and hypertrophic scars can be very similar in appearance, but they have a few key differences. Keloid scars are more common on people with dark skin and they can form spontaneously on people who are prone to them. A keloid scar will also keep growing, and will eventually grow to be larger than the original wound.
Treatment for scars
For many people an important part of recovery is the reduction of scaring. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can remove a scar completely but with time and proper care many scars can fade so they will hardly be noticeable. There are a variety of options available for reducing a scar once it has formed. Creams/oils and some silicone sheets are the only scar treatments that are available over the counter. The rest are only available through a doctor, usually a dermatologist.
Many doctors and insurance companies require that someone who self harms has gone at least 1 year without self harming before they will perform certain procedures like revision surgery or laser surgery.
Using sunscreen and protecting the scars from UV (the sun and tanning beds) can also help. Scars can burn more quickly than If a scar becomes sunburned the color may never fade, or it may take longer to fade than normal skin.
Creams/Oils
There are a variety of creams/oils available over the counter that can be used to reduce scaring with a range of success. Some products work well, while others don’t seem to have any affect at all. The best thing you can do is experiment with different products until you find something that works for you. Some common products are Mederma, Bio- Oil, Vitamin E Oil or Pharmaclinix.
Silicone Sheets
Silicone sheets can be purchased over the counter, although there are also versions that are available by prescription only. They are applied to the scar for long periods of time, and have shown some success in flattening upraised scars.
Pressure Dressings
Pressure dressings are most often used on burn scars that cover a large area of the skin on the arms and legs. A specially fitted dressing is worn nearly constantly for months to apply pressure to the area causing the scaring to flatten out.
Revision surgery
Revision surgery is generally used for hypertrophic or keloid scars that are wide and upraised. The existing scar is removed via surgery and the wound is then stitched up. The goal of this is to replace the large scar with a narrow flat scar.
Laser Surgery
This is a relatively new method for treating scars, and it has shown some success in fading, but not flattening scars. It isn’t widely available, and is still considered experimental.
Dermabrasion/resurfacing
Dermabrasion or resurfacing scars is where an abrasive medium is used to shave layers of the skin off the top of an upraised scar. This type of treatment is usually done over several weeks or months in a dermatologist’s office with specialized equipment.
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