Scars tell a story and act as a reminder of what happened to us “back when”. Some people bear their scars with pride while others see them as a blemish. Typically a scar appears from a trauma that has injured delicate tissue. Scars can happen on the surface of the skin or deep within the organs of the body. This article will address superficial scars occurring on the surface of the skin.
Regardless of if you feel comfortable in your own scarred skin or not, a scar is a great reminder of our body’s amazing ability to heal itself. A scar is made up of collagen, the same as your skin, but the formation of the collagen fibers in a scar is denser than that of regular skin tissue.
Atrophic scars are scars that are hollowed out in the skin, such as acne scars or pock marks. These scars are best treated with injectable fillers to raise the recessed scar so that it lies flush with the surface of the skin. The downfall to repairing these types of scars is that most injectable fillers only last a short while, so many injections will be required to maintain the healed appearance over a long period of time. The good thing is, the procedure is simple and fairly affordable considering the competitive pricing of dermal fillers. Most scars in this category are smaller in size, therefore purchasing one syringe of filler may be all you need for several injections. Another popular option for atrophc scars is laser resurfacing which will help even out the entire surface of the skin so that the depressions are less noticeable.
In hypertrophic and keloid scars, those scars that heal raised and bumpy, the collagen fibers have become even more dense than a regular flat scar. All keloid scars are hypertrophic, but not all hypertrophic scars are keloids. Although hypertrophic scars are typically the most obvious type of scar, they are also able to be treated with some success. Rather than laser treatment, the most effective form a treatment is more rudimentary. Dermabrasion is a scraping and re-wounding of the skin that will smooth out the scar so that it blends in better with the surrounding healthy tissue and is less noticeable. In some cases your physician may even recommend the scar be removed by excision and sutured shut. Keep in mind, any type of repair to these scars means the skin will be wounded yet again. If you already have a history of healing from a trauma to the skin with a hypertrophic scar, there is a chance it could happen again, even under treatment from a skilled physician.
Stretch marks, or striae, is a form of scarring that occurs when the skin has been stretched quickly, usually during pregnancy, growth spurts or weight gain. There really is no fail safe technique to improve this type of scarring. Laser treatments may diminish redness, but this will also happen naturally over a period of months to years.
Those of us suffering from scars that make us feel ugly or embarrassed can often be overwhelmed by advertisements to remove unsightly scars. The key to finding the right course of treatment lies knowing your scar and finding a trusted physician who will cater to your individual needs rather than jumping on the latest laser trend. Just as it took your body time to generate the scar, it will take time to reverse the process as well. Having realistic expectations is key to not being disappointed with your scar revision treatment.
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