The skin’s normal healing process includes the creation of scars. Accidents, illnesses, skin disorders, and surgeries are the causes of it. Despite being permanent, scars may become better and go away over the course of two years, depending on the extent of the damage, the size of the wound, and the body part. It seems doubtful that they will continue to decline after this period. Additionally, certain people are more likely to get severe scars, and scar development is influenced by factors including age, ethnicity, and inheritance.
Read More: treatment for hypertrophic scars
Using petroleum jelly or antibacterial ointments to keep the skin hydrated, changing bandages every day to keep the area clean, avoiding scab picking, and limiting sun exposure to the damaged region are all standard recommendations for reducing the formation of scars. Nevertheless, scarring is frequently still unexpected and can take many distinct shapes, including flat, stretched, depressed, and elevated, even with these safeguards. The process of scarring can be annoying and significantly affect one’s quality of life.
Numerous therapeutic approaches are available to make scars look better and lessen the agony they cause. Psychosocial anguish, discomfort, itching, and mobility restriction are more reasons to seek medical attention for scars. The kind of therapy that your dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon suggests will also depend on the type of scar.
Topical therapies
More intrusive methods are typically pursued after trying topical therapies. By lessening itching and discomfort, over-the-counter topical corticosteroids, antihistamine creams, and anesthetic ointments can aid in the maturation and healing of scars. For more recent wounds that are pink and still healing, stronger corticosteroid treatments that need a prescription are occasionally used to prevent excessive scar development.
For many years, silicone has been used to heal burns, surgical scars, and other skin ailments that need medical care. The sheet shape is a gentle covering for wounds that keeps the scar moist and seals it. Wearing the silicone sheet for more than 12 hours a day for weeks or months is recommended for best results. Topical silicone gel, a more modern invention, is self-applied and dries into a thin layer in four to five minutes. Most pharmacies now carry single-use silicone gel forms, which have been demonstrated to be both economical and practical.
Treatments using injections
Raised, thick, or red scars can be treated with corticosteroid injections; the most severe types are known as keloid or hypertrophic scars. To lessen localized discomfort, itching, and inflammation, many tiny injections are administered into the scar tissue. Injections may be administered at intervals of 4-6 weeks for several months, depending on the scar type and the patient’s reaction to a steroid injection trial.
Conversely, depressed scars are filled with filler injections. Results are seen right away when collagen and synthetic chemicals are injected into or beneath the scar tissue. Since filler injections are not permanent, this operation is mostly done for cosmetic purposes and, if wanted, would need to be repeated every few years.
Surface modifications
In order to create new, smoother skin layers, skin resurfacing eliminates the outermost layer of damaged skin. This makes scars less noticeable by improving surface imperfections and uneven pigmentation.
With dermabrasion, the outer layer of skin is manually removed using a quickly rotating instrument. This method is frequently used to reduce sun damage, wrinkles, age spots, and acne scars. Before the treatment, a topical anesthetic may be given, and for a few weeks before the skin heals, it may be irritated and blotchy.
Chemical peels are another method of chemically removing the outermost layers of skin. Light and deep chemical peels are among the several chemical solution alternatives available; deeper chemical peels provide more striking effects but also require more time to recover. Chemical peels are commonly used to treat melasma, wrinkles, UV damage, and acne scars on the face. They may even aid in the management of acne in some situations. The process may cause some stinging and burning, and for a few weeks following the operation, moisturizers and sunscreen are advised.
To accurately remove skin layers, laser treatment pulses focused light beams to uneven skin. It can reduce discolouration, soften and flatten scars, and make skin appear tighter and younger. Although full-facial treatments with lesser laser settings are also commonly performed, its accuracy makes it highly useful for minor face and acne scars.
Finally, skin bleaching and vascular laser therapy are further surface therapies. Skin bleaching uses topical lotions that lighten skin, whereas vascular laser therapy lessens the redness of scars with blood vessels.
Surgery
Scars can be repositioned and reshaped using scar revision surgery. Additionally, surgery can increase mobility by releasing a tight scar around a joint. The size and location of the scar determine whether local or general anesthetic is used. Scar tissue is often removed completely during scar excision and revision, and the region is reformed by manipulating a flap of nearby healthy skin.
A skin graft from another area of the body is utilized when a flap is not an option. Typically, the transplant is taken from less visible parts of the body, such as the inner thighs or buttocks. Very huge scars are replaced with this method. As an alternative, a Z-plasty reduces the visibility of a scar by moving it into a natural fold or wrinkle. Additionally, it can alleviate the stiffness or tension brought on by scar tissue.
An expanding silicone implant is inserted beneath the skin in a different technique called tissue expanders. The removed scar tissue is eventually replaced by the stretched, healthy skin.