treatyourscars There are many other types of skin scars, each of which has its own appearance and its own causes and treatments. Hypertrophic scars occur on the skin after you have suffered a skin injury or wound. Scar tissue forms around the wound as a result of accidental trauma, inflammation, burns or surgical incisions.
When body tissue is damaged by a physical injury, scars form as it heals. As the injury heals over time, the scars become flatter and paler. In general, the scar will widen less over time as the wound is less tense.
There are three different stages of healing, and your scar will look different at each stage. The wound healing reaction will leave its job uninterrupted, and the normal scar will form and fade by itself in a few years. During wound healing, wound damage can become infected, and if the wound healing process is prolonged, this can lead to larger scars on the road.
In the second phase of the healing, the body begins to repair the skin by accumulating scar tissue on the skin surrounding the wound. The latter means that the skin is in repair mode, driven by scar tissue and collagen, and the wound contracts and closes.
This transformation occurs when the wound contracts further, the fibers reorganize and there is a reduction in capillary scarring. In this last phase, collagen synthesis takes place to strengthen the tissue.
Scars are common during the healing process of wounds and hypertrophic scars are the result of an abnormal reaction to trauma or injury. Scar correction is performed by using tissue from the scar to make it look better.
Your doctor may recommend one of several treatments to smooth or reduce your scar. It should not be forgotten that it can take a whole year for a scar to fully mature.
The location of the wound, the duration of the wound healing, the age of the patients and the type of skin play a role in how quickly scars form. Other factors such as genetics, skin type and the way the wound was treated determine whether or not the scars fade over time. In younger patients with skin cancer, it can take between 18 months and two years for a scar to mature.
How long you heal depends on your genetics; darker skin, for example, creates darker, thicker scars. Some populations with darker skin tones tend to develop keloids, while hypertrophic scars affect all populations. Keloids are harder to treat and never improve on their own, while hypertrophic scars fade over time and respond well to steroids.
It is harder to discern the difference between keloid and hypertrophic scars than you might think, so if you have ever had a keloid, let your GP or dermatologist know as soon as possible. Early steroid treatment can reduce the risk of developing a keloid scar, but once it has formed, there are limited ways to improve its appearance. For keloids with a history, preventive strategies are recommended: pressure therapy, injection of corticosteroids into the scar, compression bandages, silicone or laser.
One of the best ways to ensure that wounds do not develop keloid or hypertrophic scars is to use silicone gel films or silicone scars. The use of silicone gel plates for several months after surgery can help reduce scarring. The healing process starts with proper wound care and intensive barrier moisturizers. Silicone gel can make your surgical scars less visible.
Dermabrasion can also be used to minimize small scars and minor surface irregularities such as surgical scars and acne scars. The scar is lifted and brought to the level of the rest of the skin.
Scars of varying visibility are a common concern for plastic surgery patients, as most incisions heal quickly and plastic surgeons know from experience where to place them to make scars less visible. Patients should ask their doctor or plastic surgeon how they can improve their scars, says Dr Loffredo. Plastic surgeons can perform scar correction if the scars do not heal as quickly as patients hope, or if the scar is still painful.
Hypertrophic scars impede joint mobility because they cause excessive tension in the surrounding tissue, so surgery is an option. Avoiding unnecessary skin surgery can also reduce the likelihood of developing a hypertrophic scar, as the incidence rate of this operation is between 40 and 94 percent.
Steroid injections should be continued for up to 2 years after surgery to maximize healing and reduce the likelihood of scars returning. Scars are a common complication of burns and injuries in the form of piercings, cuts and acne. Keloid scars can occur up to 1 year after the initial trauma to the skin.
Keloid scars and hypertrophic scars occur because excess collagen is produced at the wound site. In contrast to keloid scars, these scars do not go beyond the boundary of the original wound. Hypertrophic scars are more common, but they only become larger when the keloids subside, and they are a process that can take a year or more.
The most important and visible difference between hypertrophic and keloid scars is the extent to which the scar spreads beyond the original wound. Keloid scars form additional connective tissue that extends beyond the wound. The keloids continue to form as the wound heals, resulting in large mounds of scar tissue.
A keloid grows on the skin surface and forms a large mound of scar tissue. Keloid scars lift the skin from pink to red, which corresponds to the dark surrounding skin.
