| A scar is “the body’s natural way of healing and replacing lost or damaged skin.” A scar is made up of fibrous tissue and occurs due to damage to skin as a result of an accident, disease, infection, injury, surgery or inflammation. Scars can have different appearances on the body, whether they are flat, lumpy, and sunken in nature and can be colored, itchy and/or painful. A number of factors figured into how a scar ends up looking including an individual’s skin type, where the scar is to be found on the body, the wound’s direction, the kind of injury it is, the age of the person and his or her physical health. Scars unfortunately occur after almost any injury to the skin with the exception of very minor cuts and scraps. All scars leave marks but there are ways to make them less noticeable.
Dermabrasion can be undergone to help minimize the appearance of many small scars, acne scars and surgical scars. Dermabrasion involves “abrading” (or removing) the top layers of skin with an electrical machine. This should give the skin afterwards a fresher and smoother appearance.
Chemical peels are good for superficial scars and they take place when the upper layer of skin is taken off with a chemical solution made of glycolic acid that in turn allows the skin to go through a process of regeneration.
Collagen injections are sometimes used to minimize the look of sunken scars. Collagen is an animal protein but must not be undertaken by individuals suffering from certain diseases. Speak to your doctor first before booking an appointment to have a collagen injection. More than one treatment is often required for this form of scar minimization.
Cortisone-like injections are another way to minimize the look of scars and these work best on hard scars to soften and then shrink them. Another method of minimizing scars is cryosurgery which helps to decrease scars by freezing being applied to the top layers of the skin. The freezing used in cryosurgery prompts blistering, and then healing. Another option is laser resurfacing which can be used on both fine scars and wrinkles. With this procedure light of a high-energy source is utilized to burn away skin that is damaged.
Punch grafts, another scar minimization method, are basically tiny skin grafts that are placed over scars or a scarred area of skin to improve the appearance of it. This is how the procedure is done- a hole is punched in the skin to do away with the scar and it is then replaced with skin that is “scar-free” and is more often than not, taken from the back of one earlobe. Punch grafts work best on deep acne scars. Surgical scar revision takes place when the scar is removed on a surgical basis and the exposed new skin is then “rejoined.” This results in a new but much less visible scar. Surgical scar revision is used in only certain situation- such as when a scar has healed in a strange (or very abnormal) sort of way, very long and/or wide scars that are in places of the body where they are extremely visible, such as on the face, neck or hands.
Silicon gel sheets aid in reducing the appearance of unsightly scars. If worn on a regular basis a silicon gel sheet can be placed over the top of a scar to soften, flatten and eventually fade red and raised scars. Once only available with a doctor’s prescription, these sheets can now be purchased over-the-counter at drugstores. Research has shown that they are extremely beneficial in minimizing scar tissue.
Plastic surgeons have found a lot of success with a patented silicone gel called Kelo-cote that improves upon the look of scars and works towards the prevention of abnormal and/or excessive scar formation.
Healthy healing is supported by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and this also helps cut down on the level of scarring after an injury to skin due to an accident, surgery, etc. Healthy cells need lots of vitamins and minerals, in particular zinc (which is to be found in cheese, lean meat, poultry, nuts and seeds) and vitamin C (which is to be found in citrus fruits). Consuming lots of water makes a difference as does taking vitamin E (which is in wheat germ, nuts, eggs and green vegetables). Some believe that vitamin E creams applied to scars help healing as does cocoa butter but neither claim has been substantiated yet. |
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