treatyourscars Scars usually fade after surgery. For some people, this can take up to a year. Some of the factors that determine how long scars stay red after surgery include the type of surgery, age and skin type. Most importantly, also the degree of trauma to the tissue when it is injured.
Skin injuries, such as burns, cuts or operations, result in scars as a result of the body’s natural wound healing reaction. Scars on the skin occur when an incision or other injury is just healing. If the scar is not removed, it can be made visible.
When the skin on the edge of the wound detaches, normal scars heal in thin, light lines. The wider the wound, the more of the skin surface is missing and more scar tissue is needed to bridge the gap between the edge and damaged skin e.g. In the case of a bad graze on the knee so that the scars are clean and take longer to heal. If there are no normal scars, they are red and look sore, but they fade when the injury begins to heal completely.
A scar can go through multiple stages of healing before the redness fades and solidifies into a fine whitish line. Pressure clothing can help in the initial stages of wound healing, especially if the scar is hypertrophic (i.e. Elevated). Note that scars that appear red or raised may fade over time.
Use a water-resistant camouflage product to hide the scar during the maturation period of 12-14 months. Massage, vibration and rubbing the scar with different textures can help sensitive scars. Sensitive scars occur when nerves, skin and deep tissue are affected by injury or surgery.
It can take 12 to 18 months after the injury or surgery for the scars to fully heal. Her scars turn red, settle and become smoother and paler.
Some scars take longer to mature, while others become thicker or worse. Normal scars become darker over time, and these gradually begin to fade. Some scars fit into normal skin and wrinkles, but they can still be felt.
A normal scar is not painful, but can itch for months. As the incision heals, the skin can be applied to the scar area with moisturizer or a gentle, firm massage to mature it. If your skin is tanned, the scar appears less obvious because the scar tissue is not tanned and remains pale.
Keloid scar A keloid scar is an overgrowth of tissue that occurs when too much collagen is produced at the site of a wound and continues to grow after wound healing. Keloid scars lift the skin from pink to red, which corresponds to the dark surrounding skin.
They can itch, hurt and restrict mobility as they are close to the joints. Scar features that make camouflage more difficult include lumpiness, thickness, and distinct discoloration. Patients may develop red, thick, hypertrophic scars that the surgeon did not expect before the operation.
In the worst case it can take one to two years until the scar has shrunk to an endlessly thin scar. The type of scarring caused by the previous operation may give an indication of the type of scarring that will occur.
If the redness persists for more than a year after the operation, a scar correction may be necessary for further improvement. Scar correction is an operation that minimizes the scar so that it fuses and is offered years after the injury or surgery. As suspected, various scar treatments can shorten the redness resolution by a few months if applied immediately after the operation.
Once a scar has completed the healing process, it is usually bright, smooth and no longer sensitive to touch. Freshly healed scars (pink, red, raised, thick and sensitive) are protected from sunlight, but exposure to sunlight can obscure them.
During this time, problems with the scar can occur, which can lead to severe scars in the long term. As connective tissue builds up over time, two key problems can occur: keloid and hypertrophic scarring. This is the case when tissue continues to form after the scar healed, causing the scar to darken and forming a large mound of scar tissue.
Keloids and hypertrophic scars are caused by excessive collagen production during the wound healing process. The main difference between a keloid and hypertrophic scar is that keloids grow along the boundaries of the original site of the injury of the skin, while hypertrophic scars remain confined to the injured area. Keloids are harder to treat and may never improve on their own, while hypertrophic scars fade over time and respond well to steroids.
People of African or Asian descent are more likely to develop a keloid than people with lighter skin. People with ginger hair and fair skin also have an increased risk of hypertrophic and keloid scars. According to Henley, the upper arm has been selected as a suitable location for TB vaccination due to the poor scarring that occurs in this area.
Hypertrophic scars are common in burns. Research suggests that hypertrophic scars are the most common burn injury, with between 30 and 91 percent reporting the condition after burns. Although hypertrophic scars are common, they are not large enough to cause the keloids to completely subside, and it is a process that can take a year or more.
Hypertrophic scars can follow many other injuries, such as trauma, piercings and surgery. Avoiding unnecessary skin surgery can limit the likelihood of developing hypertrophic scars, as the incidence rate of these surgeries is between 40 and 94 percent.
Adequate massage therapy can prevent scar tissue from becoming permanent. Cosmetic surgery of choice has the advantage of pre-operative planning, which enables our surgeons to place the scar in an inconspicuous position. The position and orientation of the scar on the body play a major role in its appearance, and some scars may require methods such as steroids to improve their quality.
