Scars are essentially areas of fibrous tissue that form when the dermis (the deepest layer of skin) is damaged in some way, either through cuts, burns, abrasions, tears or puncture wounds, according to WebMD. Even acne and chicken pox can cause scarring later in life. Any scab you pick at repeatedly without allowing to heal properly can develop into a scar. Disease and accidents also cause scars. As a natural part of the body’s healing process, scars can more readily occur on different parts of the body than others. Some heal faster than others, too.
Upper Torso
Areas such as the chest and shoulders tend to scar worse than other areas. Scars in these tension areas are often thicker and more pronounced.
Joints
You’ll also find thicker scars occurring on elbows and knees due to their high tension qualities. Because they are repeatedly stressed in daily living, the skin is tighter over joints, which limits your movement. Scars on the knee, therefore, can be more painful than other areas. Because scar tissue is very fibrous and thick, the constant stretch of the skin over knees and elbows can make it very hard for injuries to heal properly.
Legs
Leg skin tends to be tougher than skin anywhere else on your body. Also, because the legs are so large in proportion to the rest of your body, scars can appear more pronounced. Many leg scars are hypertrophic, which means they are red and raised above the surrounding skin.
Ears
You may not realize it, but ears can scar easily and often more thickly than other parts of the body. The ears are a favorite destination of keloids, which are red, raised scars similar to hypertrophic scars. Ear scars may develop after piercing, for example. Topical keloid creams can be effective in treating these scars.
Mouth
Your mouth heals more quickly and effectively than other areas. This is because it’s constantly moist, with intraoral tissue that regenerates quickly as opposed to drier areas of your body. That said, the mouth is prone to harboring bacteria, which can lead to infection. Infection in turn, slows the body’s natural healing process and can result in abnormal scarring.
Stomach
This area oten features thinner, flatter scars, many of which can be the result of pregnancy, rapid weight loss or cosmetic surgery.
What You Can Do
Take the necessary steps to prevent scarring, or at least minimize the effects. You can achieve this through allowing wounds to heal thoroughly before taking off bandages. Visit your doctor for deeper cuts or burns. Don’t expose healing wounds to the sun in order to prevent hyperpigmentation, and use silicone scar treatment such as Scarfade to reduce keloid and hypertrophic scars.