In general, older scars that were not treated for fading initially will not respond as well to home treatments like Scarfade. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible! It’s always best to begin treatment with these creams as soon as the wound starts healing. You can use it for up to 16 weeks depending on how severe the scar is or how much fading you are satisfied with. Scarfade generally works best on fresh scars, rather than older, more established ones.
For most people, it takes about a year for a scar to settle into their appearance. Initially, healing happens rather quickly, such as within a month or so. But every person is different in their ability to recover from an injury, whether burn, surgical incision or cut. The older a person is, the more quickly a scar will settle. Young people, who tend to have more taught skin, may have to wait between 18 months and two years before their scar matures.
Factors That Affect Wound Healing
How your wound heals will depend on things like genetics, whereby darker skin produces darker and thicker scars, for example. Other factors include:
- Illnesses like diabetes, thyroid disease, poor circulation, and high blood pressure may decrease your body’s healing ability.
- Nutrition. In order for wounds to heal efficiently, you need plenty of zinc, vitamin C, protein, and iron, as well as a proper amount of calories, vitamins and minerals.
- Age. Younger people heal more easily and quickly than older people; however, older people’s scars tend to fade away faster.
- Non-smokers heal better than smokers.
- Skin quality and blood supply. If your skin is thinned and stretched due to sagging breasts, for instance, you are at a higher risk of raised, irregular or wide scars.
- Sun exposure. The ability of a scar to fade will depend on if you are diligent about slathering on the sunscreen when going outside. Because scars don’t have the normal pigments that are there to protect your skin, the sun can lighten or darken scars depending on the person. Wear clothing over your scars, especially newer ones, and apply SPF 30 or higher when you can’t cover up.
Can Old Scars Fade?
Yes, they can. But there are many variables that will depend on how well they fade, such as the type of injury and resulting scar, as well as how soon you can treat it and the length of time you treat it for.
A scar will form when the second layer of skin (dermis) is damaged in some way. Your body will then send collagen fibers to the site to start repairing things. The result is a scar. The faster your wound heals, the less collagen that is deposited, meaning it will be less noticeable over the long term. So, the key is prompt action after sustaining an injury.
You may have heard that natural remedies like aloe vera and lavender oil can reduce the appearance or severity of your scars. But the scientific evidence isn’t really there to support this. Products like Scarfade, on the other hand, do have the scientific evidence to back up their claims. That’s because they contain dimethicones – the only ingredients that have been proven to be effective for scar minimization. In the end, it’s never too late to pick up a tube of Scarfade!