The way scars typically heal leaves a bit of a gap in between people’s expectations vs. reality. You may assume that your scar will completely fade given enough time and at-home treatments. But even with all the care in the world, the reality is that scars don’t always fade to nothing. This may certainly be the case in minor scars, but with more severe scars, living with a fading reminder of the event that led to the scar is something many people experience.
Good news is, there are lots of things you can do from home to try to match your expectations vs. reality more closely, as nothing is a lost cause. It takes dedication and patience, but you will likely find a place of peace with your scars in time.
Proper Wound Care
First, you have to take wound care seriously if you want to make any kind of difference. Clean the wound thoroughly and use antibiotic ointment, covering the wound for the first couple of days. As it heals, use products like Scarfade every day, massaging it into the skin. Don’t pick at scabs, as this will delay the healing process and possibly lead to a more prominent scar.
Keep in mind these common wound healing stages:
- The inflammatory stage is when the blood vessels tighten up to keep major blood loss from happening. Those vessels get even bigger so they can accommodate maximum blood flow to the area of injury. White blood cells start to mobilize and eradicate microbes. Only then do your skin cells multiply at the wound site.
- The fibroblastic stage is when collagen starts to build up at the site, bringing the edges of the wound together. Capillaries bring more blood to the new area of skin.
- The maturation stage is the process over months or years of more and more collagen taking over the area.
Scar Massage
Lessening the appearance of a scar can start with massage therapy, proven to be an effective method of decreasing scar tissue buildup and ensuring they aren’t as noticeable as time passes. Just keep in mind, massage therapy won’t give you the results you’re hoping for on older scars – it’s best on scars less than two years old.
Using lotion or a scar treatment gel like Scarfade, use firm, circular motions a couple times a day over the scar area. This will prevent tightness, a way of softening and flattening a scar while promoting the growth of collagen via pressure application. Bonus: you will find your scar doesn’t itch as much, and the scarred area even becomes more flexible.
Use of Scarfade
After the initial injury heals, use Scarfade scar treatment cream or gel on the affected area daily. It provides a thin silicone layer which works to reduce the long-term appearance of the scar. It’s invisible and you can also wear it under makeup.
Use Scarfade (a pea-sized drop will do, twice a day) for 12 to 16 weeks after your injury, or at least until the size or severity of the scar has lessened. One of our large tubes will last you up to one year for scars less than two inches and up to four months for scars totaling more than six inches.
Let Scarfade help bridge the gap between your expectations of how your scar will heal and the reality of your situation!