How do surgical procedures affect skin healing. What factors contribute to severe scarring. How can patients minimize scar formation after stitches. What are the best practices for post-operative wound care. When should patients seek medical attention for their healing incisions. How long does it take for surgical scars to fade completely. What treatments are available for improving the appearance of existing scars.

Understanding the Scarring Process After Surgical Procedures

Scarring is an inevitable consequence of any surgical procedure involving the skin. While all procedures leave scars, the severity and appearance can vary significantly based on several factors. Understanding the scarring process is crucial for patients seeking to minimize their visibility and promote optimal healing.

Scars form as part of the body’s natural healing mechanism. When the skin is cut or damaged, the body produces new collagen fibers to mend the wound. This new tissue has a different composition from the surrounding undamaged skin, resulting in a visible scar.

The Timeline of Scar Formation

How long does it take for a surgical scar to fully heal. The healing process occurs in several stages:

1. Inflammatory phase (0-5 days): The wound is red, swollen, and may be painful.
2. Proliferative phase (5-21 days): New tissue begins to form, and the wound starts to close.
3. Remodeling phase (21 days to 1 year or more): The scar continues to change and mature.

During the first year after surgery, the scar will typically appear red or pink. This coloration is normal and usually fades over time. After approximately 12 months, the scar often returns to a color closer to that of the surrounding skin, though its texture and pigmentation may remain different.

Factors Contributing to Severe Scarring

While some degree of scarring is unavoidable, certain factors can increase the risk of developing more noticeable or problematic scars. Being aware of these factors can help patients take appropriate precautions and manage their expectations.

Types of Problematic Scars

What are the most common types of problematic scars. Two primary types of severe scarring can occur:

• Hypertrophic scars: Raised above the skin’s surface but confined to the original wound area.
• Keloid scars: Extend beyond the original incision site and can be very itchy and difficult to treat.

Risk Factors for Severe Scarring

Several factors can increase the likelihood of developing hypertrophic or keloid scars:

• Large incision size
• Location on areas of high skin tension (e.g., chest, back, shoulders)
• Wound closure requiring significant skin stretching
• Patient age (children and teenagers are more prone)
• Use of skin grafts
• Wound infection or breakdown
• Individual genetic predisposition

Immediate Post-Operative Care: Preventing Complications

The care provided immediately after surgery plays a crucial role in preventing complications and minimizing scarring. Proper wound management in the days and weeks following the procedure can significantly impact the final appearance of the scar.

Following Aftercare Instructions

Why is it essential to follow post-operative instructions carefully. Adhering to your doctor’s or nurse’s aftercare instructions is crucial for several reasons:

• Reduces the risk of wound infection
• Prevents wound breakdown
• Minimizes the chance of dehiscence (wound edges pulling apart)

If you experience any concerns about your wound, such as excessive pain, bleeding, bruising, or signs of infection, it’s important to consult your doctor promptly.

Dressing Management

Proper care of your wound dressing is essential for optimal healing. If your dressing becomes blood-stained or begins to come off, it’s advisable to have it replaced at your clinic. In most cases, after three days, you can remove the dressing and leave Steri-Strips across the wound until your follow-up appointment for stitch removal.

Innovative Treatments: Low-Level Light Therapy

Emerging research suggests that low-level light therapy (LLLT) may offer significant benefits for wound healing and scar prevention. This non-invasive treatment uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate cellular activity and promote healing.

Benefits of Low-Level Light Therapy

How does low-level light therapy improve wound healing. Studies have shown that LLLT can:

• Accelerate wound healing by providing energy to healing cells
• Result in softer and more elastic healed tissue
• Reduce the likelihood of keloid scar formation

Recommended Treatment Protocol

For optimal results, a typical LLLT treatment course might include sessions:

1. 1-2 days before the procedure
2. Immediately following the procedure
3. 2-3 days after the procedure
4. Another session 2-3 days later

Post-Stitch Removal: Strategies for Minimizing Scarring

After your stitches have been removed, there are several steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing an overgrown or prominent scar. These strategies focus on supporting the wound healing process and preventing excessive scar tissue formation.

Avoid Stretching the Wound

Why is it important to minimize skin stretching after stitch removal. The newly healed skin remains relatively weak for several weeks after stitches are removed. Excessive stretching during this period can cause the wound to reopen or lead to wider, more noticeable scars.

To protect your healing wound:

• Minimize movements that stretch the affected area for about a month
• Be cautious when lifting heavy weights or making sudden movements
• Consult with fitness instructors about modifying exercises to reduce tension on the affected area
• Consider wearing tape over the wound as a reminder to be careful

Wound Compression

Applying gentle pressure to the healing wound can help prevent raised scars. This can be achieved by:

• Using specialized silicone sheets or strips
• Applying medical-grade tape over the wound
• Wearing compression garments for larger areas

Topical Treatments

What topical products can help reduce scar formation. Several over-the-counter and prescription products may help improve scar appearance:

• Silicone gels or sheets
• Vitamin E creams
• Onion extract gels
• Prescription retinoid creams

Silicone gel, in particular, has shown promising results when applied twice daily to healing wounds.

Scar Massage

Gently massaging the healed scar can promote blood flow and improve its appearance. Start massage only after the wound has fully closed and with your doctor’s approval, typically 2-4 weeks after surgery.

Long-Term Scar Management and Treatment Options

Even with optimal care, some scars may remain more noticeable than desired. Fortunately, various treatments are available to improve the appearance of existing scars.

Non-Invasive Treatments

What non-surgical options are available for scar improvement. Several non-invasive treatments can help reduce the appearance of scars:

• Laser therapy
• Microneedling
• Chemical peels
• Dermabrasion
• Corticosteroid injections (for keloid scars)

Surgical Revision

In some cases, surgical scar revision may be recommended. This involves removing the old scar tissue and carefully reclosing the wound to create a less noticeable scar. However, it’s important to note that revision surgery itself will also result in a scar, albeit potentially less visible.

Understanding the Limitations of Scar Prevention

While many strategies can help minimize scarring, it’s crucial to maintain realistic expectations. Some degree of scarring is inevitable following any surgical procedure, and individual factors such as genetics play a significant role in how scars heal.

Genetic Factors

How do genetics influence scar formation. Some individuals are naturally more prone to developing hypertrophic or keloid scars, even when following all recommended precautions. This predisposition is largely determined by genetic factors and can vary among different ethnic groups.

The Role of Age in Scar Formation

Age can significantly impact how scars form and heal. Generally, younger individuals, especially children and teenagers, are more likely to develop more noticeable scars due to their skin’s higher collagen production and faster healing response. Conversely, older adults may experience slower healing but often have less pronounced scarring.

Psychological Impact of Scarring and Coping Strategies

The presence of scars, particularly in visible areas, can have a significant psychological impact on some individuals. It’s important to address these concerns as part of the overall treatment and recovery process.

Emotional Responses to Scarring

How do scars affect a person’s self-image and confidence. Common emotional responses to scarring may include:

• Decreased self-esteem
• Anxiety in social situations
• Depression
• Body image issues

Coping Strategies and Support

What resources are available for individuals struggling with the emotional impact of scars. Several strategies and resources can help:

• Counseling or therapy
• Support groups for individuals with scars
• Educational resources about scar management
• Techniques for camouflaging scars with makeup

It’s important for healthcare providers to address both the physical and emotional aspects of scarring to ensure comprehensive patient care.

Future Developments in Scar Prevention and Treatment

Research in the field of wound healing and scar prevention continues to advance, offering hope for improved outcomes in the future.

Emerging Technologies

What new technologies are being developed for scar prevention and treatment. Several promising areas of research include:

• Gene therapy to modulate the healing response
• Stem cell treatments to promote regenerative healing
• Advanced biomaterials for wound closure and healing
• Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems

Personalized Medicine Approaches

How might personalized medicine improve scar management. Future treatments may be tailored to an individual’s genetic profile and specific risk factors, allowing for more targeted and effective interventions.

As research progresses, patients can look forward to increasingly sophisticated and effective methods for preventing and treating scars, ultimately leading to better aesthetic and functional outcomes following surgical procedures.

Scarring after procedures: prevention and treatment

If you’ve recently had a surgical procedure on your skin, such as excision/biopsy for a skin cancer or suspected skin cancer, or a cosmetic lesion removal, there is a risk of scarring. All procedures leave scars. Fortunately, the most severe scars can usually be prevented by the right management after the procedure. Old overgrown scars can usually be treated to improve their appearance.

You may not be concerned about the appearance of the scar, but looking after your wound properly can help prevent:

• the wound from pulling open in the weeks after a procedure
• an overgrown, raised scar (sometimes called a keloid scar) which can be very itchy and difficult to treat once it has formed.

What causes scarring?

All procedures leave scars. They are a normal result of skin growth and repair after an injury. The new skin has a different composition from the surrounding undamaged skin and will usually look different.

In the early stages after a procedure and for about a year after, the scar will be red or pink. This is normal and usually fades.

After that, the scar usually returns to the approximate colour of the surrounding skin, but its surface consistency and pigmentation pattern remain different so the scar can still be seen.

Large scars

Large or overgrown scars may be raised above the level of the surrounding skin or extend sideways further than the original incision. This type of scarring is called hypertrophic or keloid scarring.

Hypertrophic scars are more likely when:

• The original excision procedure is large
• The spot was removed from an area of the body that stretches, such as the chest, back or shoulders
• The skin needs to be stretched slightly to close the wound
• The patient is a growing child or teenager
• A skin graft is used
• The wound becomes infected or breaks down

Some people are simply more prone to develop hypertrophic scars even when none of these factors apply.

Suture marks

Some scars have crossing lines from were stitches were inserted.

These are more likely if the stitch material was thick (sometimes necessary for stitches on the back) or if the skin was stretched tightly to close the wound. In these cases, the doctor will sometimes use two layers of stitches where one is buried beneath the surface of the skin. This makes the wound stronger and reduces the risk of scarring.

In the short term

Follow the aftercare instructions provided by your doctor or nurse to reduce the risk of wound infection, breakdown and dehiscence (edges pulling apart).

If you have any concerns about your wound: pain, bleeding, bruising or infection, see your doctor as soon as possible.

If your dressing is blood-stained or coming off or you have other concerns, we are happy to replace it at our clinic.

In most cases, after 3 days you can remove the dressing and leave Steri-Strips across the wound until you return to the clinic to have the stitches removed.

Low-level light therapy

You may wish to undergo a course of low-level light therapy. This treatment helps the wound heal significantly faster by providing energy to the healing cells. (Min 2013, Calderhead 2015)

Wounds treated with low-level light therapy are softer and more elastic when they heal (Calderhead 2015) and less likely to develop keloid scars (Barolet 2010).

A recommended treatment course would be:

• 1-2 days before the procedure
• Immediately following the procedure
• 2-3 days after the procedure
• 2-3 days later

Reducing scarring after stitches are removed: what you can do

You can reduce the risk of an overgrown scar by following these principles:

1. Avoid stretching the wound
2. Cover the wound tightly to stop it becoming raised
3. Apply a product that reduces inflammation and stimulates wound healing
4. Promote blood flow to the wound and improve healing by massaging it.

Avoid stretching

Your skin will take up to twelve months to return to maximum strength (which is still less than the strength of intact skin)

For the first few weeks after the stitches are removed, the wound is relatively weak and is at risk of pulling apart if the skin is stretched.

Minimise movements that involve stretching the area for about a month after your stitches are removed.

Be especially careful when lifting heavy weights or moving suddenly. If you routinely do gym work, Pilates or yoga, talk to your instructor or trainer about ways of exercising that reduce tension on the affected area.

Wearing tape over the wound can help you be aware of stretching in the area and act as a warning to be careful.

Silicone gel

Apply a silicone gel twice daily. This can help keep the wound soft and flat, and prevent excessive redness or discoloration. For best results, the wound should be treated twice daily for at least two months. We recommend Epicyn gel, which is available at our clinic. Other silicone gels such as Dermatix, Kelocote and Strataderm are available at pharmacies.

Silicone gel forms a film over the wound which stops it from drying out and applies pressure to stop the scar from becoming raised.

Wounds covered with silicone gel are significantly less likely to develop into hypertrophic scars.

(Mustoe 2007)

Epicyn gel (silicone in combination with hypochlorous acid) has been shown to lead to superior results compared with plain silicone gel. (Gold 2017, Sakarya 2014)

Tape

To further flatten the wound and reduce stretching, apply a surgical tape such as Micropore. For best results, keep the wound covered with tape for 4-6 weeks after the stitches are removed.

Massage

Massage can increase blood flow to the wound and promote wound healing. For best result, after 2 weeks (and only if the skin is clean and dry) massage daily with Bio-Oil for at least 10 minutes at a time. This further reduces the risk of hypertrophic scarring, as well as improving the softness and flexibility of the skin. Maximum benefit is obtained if you continue massaging for 6 months or more.

Sun exposure

Sunburn may cause healing scars to become darker. Avoid unnecessary sun exposure to your scar for at least 6 months by applying tape or sunscreen.

What

not to do

Smoking

Smoking impairs wound healing. Improving the outcome of your procedure and reducing the risk of scarring might be the incentive you need to help you stop.

Vitamin E cream

Do not use vitamin E cream. There is no evidence that it improves wound healing and it causes contact dermatitis in many cases.

Antiseptics

If your wound is red or weeping, do not apply any antiseptic such as Dettol, Betadine or tea tree oil.

Wound redness is common and it can be a normal part of the wound healing process. It doesn’t necessarily mean the wound is infected. Antiseptics can help treat infections, but they are toxic to new, healing skin as well as being toxic to bacteria. If you think you have a wound infection, you should see your doctor for assessment and advice.

Treating existing scars

If you have a pre-existing keloid or overgrown scar, multiple treatments are available including steroid injections, microneedling, broadband light/IPL and low level light therapy.

More information…

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How to Prevent Scarring From Stitches

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How to Prevent Scarring From Stitches

BASS Urgent Care

November 21, 2019

3 minutes

Our bodies are capable of enduring and repairing significant damage or trauma. When skin presents laceration injuries, scaring is the natural cycle in the healing process. Although it is good to embrace a mindset where physical appearance is not as valuable as personality treats, people might develop concerns about getting scars. It is inevitable to heal lacerations or cuts without scarring. Luckily, there are routine measurements that can help with reducing scarring visibility.

Scarring Preventive and Minimizing Measurements 

The final appearance of scarring depends on different factors like age, ethnicity, genetics, or the laceration size. Scarring can be significantly reduced when the damaged skin receives proper care during the initial healing stages. 

Here are some tips to implement in your treatment to help with scarring visibility:

Medical Instructions 

After being sutured, laceration patients will receive medical instructions about how to take care of their injury during their treatment. It is crucial to follow these instructions to achieve optimal recovery. Some extra considerations to keep in mind are:

• Avoid swimming to keep your stitches dry and clean.
• No scratching (this can make the stitches come out or infect the wound)
• Avoid activities or environments that expose the wound to dirt or pollution.

Sun Exposure

Damaged skin is more susceptible to present sun damage provoked by UVA and UVB ray filters. Scarring skin which faces sun exposure is vulnerable to develop signs of discoloration. It is recommended to cover the injury from the sun with clothing until the laceration has healed. Prevent further damage by applying sunscreen to the healed scar.

Silicone Gels

Silicon products help to smooth scars, plus they serve to protect the scar from stress and pollution. The gel product works by being applied for a minimum of 12 hours per day. Because of the different types of silicon, it is advisable to discuss this method with your doctor.

Ointments 

If necessary, your doctor can prescribe onion extract ointments to implement in your healing process and get better scarring results. 

Massages 

Massages, by increasing blood flow, help to improve scarring. 

After stitches have been removed and the laceration has completely healed, you can proceed to get a massage. The method consists of putting lotion on your hands and applying medium pressure in circular movements to the affected area.

Infections

Any signs of infection in the scar recovery should be treated immediately by medical professionals. Infected scars extend the healing process and can worsen skin damage. 

Infection symptoms include 48 hours of fever, swelling, skin irritation, and smelly fluid discharge (pus).

Injury Stress 

In the laceration treatment, rest is as important as prescribed medication. Physical efforts that imply adding stress, directly or indirectly, to your wound will consequently expand the scar size and affect its appearance.

Nutrition 

Heal from the inside out. Your body, including your skin, benefits from your nutritional habits. Patients recovering from scarring are recommended to take diets with a vast amount of protein. Our metabolism heals faster with a healthy diet, therefore try to stay hydrated and avoid alcoholic beverages and smoking.

Consult with your healthcare professional before trying any of these methods. Your primary doctor can help to provide a satisfying treatment into reducing your scar marks.

BASS Urgent Care is at your service for any doubts or concerns you might have regarding laceration treatment and scarring. Our highly-skilled medical staff is more than competent to provide a proper diagnosis and treatment. Your health is our priority, reach to us for further medical advice!

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How to get rid of scars and scars: 5 methods

November 25, 2021

Any deep injury to the inner layers of the skin remains forever. If acne scars are already very difficult to reduce and impossible to completely remove, then what can be said about postoperative scars or injuries.

In fact, even a surgeon can only minimally influence the appearance of a postoperative scar. Much depends on the nature of the operation, on the nature of the injury, if it is a scar after an injury, on the body’s ability to heal, and on immunity. It takes 6-12 months for a deep cicatricial scar to heal completely after surgery. In fact, it depends only on the surgeon, even if we are talking about plastic surgery, whether there will be suture marks around the scar, less often – even cuts, good incision sites.

1. Hypertrophic – thick and prominent scars, pale pink or dark purple, depending on age and healing characteristics. Such scars do not go beyond the actual site of the incision and sutures.
2. Keloid – scars that are capable of growth. Keloid scars move from the site of injury to the dermis to intact areas of the skin, sometimes this is accompanied by itching or pain.

The greatest danger of scars turning into hypertrophic and keloid scars is on the chest, shoulders, knees, back, next to the ears.

To prevent scar growth, first use simple methods and non-invasive means that do not involve intervention in the dermis. Then, if the treatment does not give the desired result, other methods are used. It will not be possible to remove the scar, but these methods are aimed at making it less noticeable.

1. Vitamin E.
   Vitamin E in capsules, which is sold in a pharmacy, is a powerful antioxidant and prevents or at least slows down the growth of scar tissue. But the best results from vitamin E can be seen when applied to a fresh scar twice a day. There is a danger of irritation or allergies – in this case, you should stop using the vitamin.
2. Occlusion.
   Occlusion – avoiding contact of the scar with air by applying a tight pressure bandage – is considered effective against the formation of keloid scars. This method is recommended after plastic surgery, since the scars there are usually clean and do not require special care. At home, the bandage can be replaced with a medical plaster. The patch should be worn for at least a month, changing it every 3-4 days as it gets dirty.
3. Special cream.
   Good quality scar creams purchased from a beautician or pharmacy are more likely to prevent hypertrophic scar thickening and keloid expansion. There are special silicone creams or plates that can be glued to the scar. When dried, the silicone cream forms an impenetrable film, which, however, has a moisturizing effect. In the warm season, silicone cream protects the scar from the sun.
4. Laser.
   Laser therapy, despite its high efficiency, is prescribed only after a course of local treatment. Treatment with oils, vitamins and creams can be carried out while the scar has not healed, when the skin is actively seeking to heal. And these remedies help the skin. Laser scar correction can be done after the scar has completely healed. Hypertrophic scars are more amenable to laser correction, keloid scars can grow even more from the laser. For fresh scars, it is good to carry out correction with a pulsed dye laser – after the first procedure, the scar becomes paler, after 3-4 – it may begin to decrease.
5. Steroids.
   If even laser therapy does not bring the desired result, and even more – the hypertrophic scar grows into a keloid, steroid injections can help. The steroid is injected directly into the scar, where it destroys the collagen that has formed the thickening. The steroid shot also reduces itching and pain in the scar tissue. But at the same time, the steroid can destroy collagen in healthy skin. Then a dent of thinned skin will appear next to the scar.

So, the tissue at the site of the scar should be treated at the initial stage of healing, this will help stop the growth of the scar or thickening.

I want to get rid of scars and scars

Article: “I want to get rid of scars and scars”

August 17, 2020 – Galiakhmetova Z.R., cosmetologist/dermatovenereologist

A scar (scar) is an aesthetic defect that appears after a skin injury and usually does not cause physical discomfort. But a neoplasm on the face or noticeable parts of the body spoils the appearance and often leads to complexes. Modern cosmetology offers many methods of treatment: from gels with collagen to peels and laser resurfacing.

Let’s talk in detail about how to get rid of scars or make them almost invisible.

Disease definition

A skin scar is made up of connective tissue that forms when the dermis on the face or body breaks down due to severe damage. It can be of varying severity depending on the depth and nature of the skin injury. Neoplasm usually does not manifest itself in any way.

The scars are smooth to the touch and do not tan, so in the summer they become especially noticeable on the skin. They also stop growing hair.

A scar is sometimes called a scar. There is no difference between these concepts.

Causes of scarring

Scars are formed due to damage to the skin as a result of trauma, falls, surgery, chickenpox, burns, animal bites. Also, the cause is damage to the skin due to stretching (pregnancy or obesity).

Sometimes it is enough to cut the finger on the hand so that a deep scar forms on it. Scars on the face may appear after acne. Especially if you constantly squeeze out acne with your hands.

Symptoms of scars

Symptoms depend on the type of scar:

1. Normotrophic scar is a thin light stripe.
   It is almost not deepened into the skin and sometimes it is almost imperceptible. Such a scar appears after cuts, surgical sutures. It does not hurt and does not
   does not show itself.
2. The atrophic scar seems to be pressed into the skin and is very noticeable due to the lack of protein and collagen in this area. It appears after chicken pox, stretching of the epidermis (striae), acne.
3. Hypertrophic scar looks like a voluminous reddish-pink bump.
   Over time, it thickens and brightens, but does not go beyond skin damage. Such scars appear after caesarean section, laparotomy, surgery after fractures to fix bone fragments.
4. A keloid scar is similar in appearance to a hypertrophic one, but it is more voluminous, grows over time and itches a lot. The exact reason for the formation of such scars has not yet been established, but there are people with a predisposition to them. In this case, a large keloid scar can appear even due to the slightest puncture and inflamed acne on the face.

How a scar is formed

After injury to the skin, edema develops in the first 1-1.5 weeks, and the wound begins to gradually stick together. Then, within a month, a young pink scar appears.

Over the next 2-3 months, the tissue structure changes and the size of the vessels decreases. The scar gradually becomes white. 4 months after the injury, it is finally formed and no longer changes color.

Complications

Scars (with the exception of keloids) usually do not cause discomfort and rarely cause complications.
But they can cause moral discomfort, so a person often gets rid of scars only for aesthetic purposes.

Scars on the face, legs or arms can pathogenically affect the structure of tissues, cause their contraction, as well as eversion of the eyelids, corners of the mouth and other disorders. Sometimes it becomes difficult to bend your fingers if there is a large deep scar on them.

The situation is complicated if the nerves are soldered to the scar tissue. There is severe pain, and the skin becomes numb. Keloid scars are difficult to tolerate. They grow quickly, look ugly and itch a lot.

If the scar is constantly injured due to mechanical impact, wounds and ulcers may appear on it with the addition of a bacterial infection.

Diagnostics

The scar is a pronounced defect, so diagnosis is usually not carried out. It is enough just to inspect and feel the neoplasm. The specialist collects an anamnesis to find out the cause of the injury in order to decide how to remove scars in a particular case.

How to remove scars

Surgical excision

Surgery to get rid of scars is usually done only if they are uneven or too ugly. This method corrects scars older than six months, when the process of formation of connective tissue is finally completed. The operation is performed under general or local anesthesia. You need to do research first:

● electrocardiography;

● complete blood count;

● HIV and hepatitis tests.

The doctor individually selects the method of excision, depending on the characteristics and location of the scar, the wishes of the patient. Then the pathological tissue is excised with a scalpel and a neat suture is made.

After the procedure, the scar becomes less pronounced, retraction and tuberosity are eliminated, and mobility returns.

How to remove scars with a laser

Laser resurfacing is considered one of the most effective ways to get rid of scars. The method is used to remove a defect on any part of the face and body (even on the thin skin of the eyelids and lips). Laser resurfacing copes with fresh and old scars. The procedure takes no longer than half an hour:

1. The doctor cleans and disinfects the skin.
2. Apply an anesthetic cream (optional).
3. Builds individual settings on the laser machine.
4. Treats the scar with a laser beam that removes the top layer of skin.

Thermal radiation is concentrated only on the defect. Healthy tissues are not damaged. After the procedure, microtraumas appear, due to which the skin begins to actively regenerate. The synthesis of collagen and elastin is activated.

After the procedure, the laser-treated skin turns red, swells and may begin to peel off. Often there is a burning sensation, which disappears after 1-2 hours. The rehabilitation period takes about 7 days. Then, for 21 days, it is not recommended to visit saunas, baths, sunbathe under the sun, apply aggressive cosmetics to the skin with a scar, and use scrubs.

After complete healing, a second procedure is performed. The number of sessions depends on the age and depth of the scar. To get rid of old large damage, a long course of laser resurfacing may be required.

Most often, an erbium or carbon dioxide laser is used to remove scars.
They help to cope with a scar of any localization and size. A powerful cooling system is built into modern laser machines, so burns are excluded during the procedure.

Chemical peel

Chemical peeling to remove scars is carried out using preparations with acids – trichloroacetic, glycolic, etc. Depending on the composition and number of layers, the substance penetrates into the middle layers of the epidermis or remains on the surface. It turns out a controlled burn, as a result of which the top layer of the skin is exfoliated along with the scar cells, and the active formation of collagen begins. The rehabilitation period takes about a week.

The number of procedures depends on the severity of the scar. Usually you need to go through at least 4 sessions with an interval of 1-3 weeks.

Getting rid of scars on the face or exposed parts of the body is carried out only in the autumn-winter period. The acid composition can cause hyperpigmentation if ultraviolet rays hit the skin.

It will not be possible to completely remove deep rough scars. But after a course of chemical peels, they will become less noticeable.

Dermabrasion (mechanical resurfacing)

The method is traumatic, but it effectively copes with neoplasms of any kind – from thin striae to hypertrophic scars. An apparatus with a rapidly rotating diamond head is used. The doctor brings it to the skin at an angle of 45 degrees and removes the surface layer of the epidermis. After the session, the treated area turns red and itches.

The number of procedures for getting rid of the scar is selected individually. Repeated dermabrasion is carried out only after the end of the rehabilitation period. During healing, you need to constantly moisturize the skin with creams and avoid exposure to sunlight so as not to provoke pigmentation.

Mesotherapy

Meso-cocktails with hyaluronic acid, vitamins, antioxidants are injected into the scar. They have the following effect:

● smooth the skin;

● remove “tightness”;

● soften;

● Make scars less visible.

After a course of procedures, the synthesis of collagen and elastin is activated, and the regeneration process is accelerated. But mesotherapy is suitable only for the removal of not deep scars. In other cases, it is combined with more traumatic methods – dermabrasion or laser resurfacing.

Collagenase gels

As an additional therapy at home, anti-scarring agents are used. A gel with active collagenase enzymes has proven itself well.
It activates collagen synthesis, accelerates regeneration and restores skin elasticity. But the drug must be used regularly. It is applied to the skin up to 5-6 times a day.

The gel copes well with fresh scars of any kind. If an atrophic or normotrophic scar appears on the arm or face, the drug activates the synthesis of collagen in the body to the required level.

Keloid and hypertrophic scars are voluminous just because of the excessive production of collagen. In this case, the drug will penetrate into the tissues and break down the excess fibers
into tiny particles that are then excreted from the body.