Nobody likes lasting reminders of injury, surgery or accident, yet that’s what scars are: reminders of what has hurt us. Some wear them like a badge of honor while others try to hide them. Most of us attempt to at least lessen their appearance. So, why do scars form in the first place?
Scar skin tissue essentially differs from normal skin tissue, mostly because it doesn’t contain sweat glands or hair follicles. Most scars are white in color, lying flat on the surface of your skin. But not all scars are created equal. Above all, always use sunscreen because scars are vulnerable to UV rays.
Here are some key takeaways you should know about scars:
- • Hypertrophic scars and keloids have a raised appearance with redness and itching. Thankfully, that subsides over time.
- • Keloid scars are known to grow past the original site of the wound, spreading over normal healthy skin tissue. They are thought to be brought on by changes in the signals passed on by cells at the site of the wound, although no one really knows exactly why these abnormal scars form.
- • Damaged cells tell the body to produce more fibrous tissue than it has to, even after the wound has closed.
- • Many people turn to laser treatments and cortisone injections for severe scars, but for more moderate scars, silicone scar gel can work wonders. Hint: try Scarfade for results you will appreciate.
- • When you get a cut or burn, your body immediately goes into healing mode. It does this by limiting blood to the area. Next, fibrin proteins work with platelets and plasma to form a protective coating. This is what you call a scab.
- • Never pick at a scab. These are nature’s Band-Aid. Think about all the healing going on underneath. Don’t interrupt the process or you will increase the chances of scarring. Plus, that protective coating has another important job to do: keep bacteria and infection out.
- • As new tissue growth occurs, the wound will gradually heal.
- • Wounds heal first at the edges, then work their way in.
- • After all skin has grown back and the wound is completely healed, that scab falls off naturally. No need to help it along!
- • It can take between three and six weeks for a deep cut to truly heal.
- • As your body produces collagen – a skin-repairing protein – the initial wound will heal. But beyond that, it can take up to two years or more for a scar to manifest itself in its final appearance.
The most non-invasive, affordable, effective and convenient way to reduce the appearance of scars is to use products like Scarfade, a clinically-proven topical treatment that helps regulate the body’s production of collagen at the wound site, thus limiting scars.