Remedies for improving appearance of scars

Very few of us will go through life without at least one or more scars. Whether noticeable or barely there, some of us don’t mind the “battle scars” we’ve earned over the years but, the rest of us would just as soon have them be gone.

Why do scars form?

Whenever our skin is injured – cuts, abrasions, bone breaks, burns acne, surgeries, or skin conditions as examples – your body has to repair the wound. Sometimes, a scar will form. Scars are a natural part of the body’s healing process. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues.

Scars form when the dermis (deep, thick layer of skin) is damaged. The body forms new collagen fibers (naturally occurring protein in the body) to mend the damage, resulting in a scar. The new scar tissue will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding tissue. Scars form after a wound is completely healed.

Most scars flatten with time. However, some may remain raised (hypertrophic scar). Rarely, scars can grow larger than the original wound and appear months after the injury. These are called keloid scars.

How should a scar be treated?

To prevent or minimize a scar, it begins with properly treating the wound that may have the potential of turning into a scar. Here are preventative steps to take whenever you have injured yourself in which a wound might form a scar:

· Keep the wound clean – Rinse the wound with water to remove any debris. Wash the area around the wound with mild soap and water.

· Apply an ointment – A thin layer of petroleum jelly or other ointment will keep the wound moist.

· Cover the wound – Apply an adhesive bandage or a nonstick gauze pad covered by an adhesive bandage, to keep the wound clean while it heals. Change bandages daily.

If you have suffered a large wound, burn or other area of your skin that could result in a scar, take precautions and preventative steps by using products specifically designed to prevent, reduce or minimize scar formation.

A silicone gel sheet, hydrogel dressing or scar ointment can help keep the wound moist while minimizing skin stretching, reducing the development of scar tissue. How effective they are in reducing scarring in the long run is not always certain. It is recommended to be the most effective for reducing scar formation, the sheets must be worn everyday – often for months – and have the possibility of causing skin irritation.

Some people are susceptible to keloids forming. For those individuals, another option is pressure therapy in which special bandages, garments or devices are used to apply pressure to the wound to minimize development of a hypertrophic scar or keloid. However, these pressure dressings may need to be worn for as long as a year to achieve results.

How to treat existing scars

Sometimes, your efforts in preventing a scar from forming may not be successful. This often depends of the depth of the wound and how long it took for it to heal. If you have an existing scar that you’ve had for years, there are steps you can take to reduce how noticeable they are.

One way is to always use sun protection so that the scar will blend with the surrounding skin and naturally fade with time.

Other options include the following:

· Silicone gel sheets – The same silicone gel sheets that may be used to prevent scar formation may reduce the size and hardness of an existing scar.

· Corticosteroid injection – With this common treatment, a doctor may inject a corticosteroid drug directly into the raised scar or keloid. This option has been shown to reduce the size of a scar by 50 percent or more. Typically, more than one treatment is needed.

· 5-Fluorouracil injection – For scars that don’t respond to corticosteroid injection, injections of the chemotherapy drug 5-Flourouracil into the scar may have more success. A combination of the two types of injections also may be used.

· Imiquimod therapy – This treatment is a topical medication that works through the immune system to change the healing environment in the skin to attack unwanted skin lesions. It may be used for people with problematic keloids.

· Laser therapy – One of the most common options, lasers and other light treatments can be used for scarring. Some lasers can reduce the redness of a scar, while others improve the texture and appearance of raised scars. More than one treatment may be needed and results often take time to appear.

· Surgical removal – Surgery for scar revision is generally reserved for scars that don’t respond to other treatments. Scar revision is often combined with other therapies, such as imiquimod injections or radiation to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence.