Open wounds on the skin have the potential to become scars if they are deep enough and wide enough. Surgical incisions, for example, are commonly expected to leave scars. Light scratches and small friction blisters are not. When a wound heals, your skin forms a new layer to connect the edges. Here are several tips to faster wound healing, which leads to a decreased chance of infection and less prominent scars.
Good Wound Care
Seek medical care for any deep or large cuts. Follow your doctor’s recommendations on wound care. Avoid additional impacts to your injuries to promote faster wound healing. Change dressings and use proper cleaning techniques as directed. For small cuts and blisters, apply hydrogen peroxide shortly after the injury to encourage faster wound healing.
Keep Wounds Moist
Dehydration can slow and complicate the skin’s healing process. Keep the wound moist with ointment and cover it with a fresh bandage for about a week. After removing the bandage, keep it moist until new skin starts to form. Once new skin begins to form, the International Clinical Recommendation on Scar Management suggests using silicone sheeting or gel on the wound for more effective scar treatment.
Prevent Infection
Follow your doctor’s advice on wound care and take any medications prescribed to minimize the chances of infection. If the surrounding skin becomes red and warm to the touch, you could be developing an infection. This slows down the healing process. Infection can also increase the wound size and, in turn, make your scars bigger.
Tension
Minimize direct tension on the wounded skin and bordering areas. Movement that stretches the skin while it’s trying to form a new layer with natural collagen will create a wider scar. Avoiding tension is easier to do on non-joint areas. Keeping wounded joints completely immobile can have the opposite effect, however, causing a permanent loss of mobility, since scarred skin is less pliable than regular skin.