Scars - How They Take Place, Tips To Prevent Them, And How To Get Rid Of Them
Even the word SOUNDS dreadful ... SCARS! Seems like something you wish to get out of your life as soon as possible, like a child tossing a loud fit on the aircraft, or a dead rat drifting in your pool!
However each time the skin is broken for any reason, traumatically or surgically, you WILL CONSTANTLY get a scar. There is no such thing as "no scar" surgical treatment, or "my scar disappeared" unless you are a fetus still in the womb (research on intra-uterine surgery on a fetal pigs with cleft lips reveal they recover with no scar). The trick is to lessen the scar as much as possible by treating it strongly WHILE it is healing, and to have the understanding that a scar can take a year or two to actually fade. I talk my patients, no matter how well your surgery is done, there is always a possibility that you can develop a scar. The technique is to do everything you can to AVOID IT, TREAT IT, and LESSEN IT.
Preventing A Scar
There are numerous things that can make a scar even worse that can sometimes be avoided, and often can not. For instance, individuals with dark skin, hair and eyes are prone to establishing worse scars than people with lighter skin ... and you can't change your genetic makeup! Also certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and scleroderma can cause scars to recover worse. Smoking is among the describes it worst possible things you can do before and after a surgical procedure. If you smoke, and you heal well, you simply got lucky! Smoking has nicotine in it, which constricts blood vessels, and likewise carbon monoxide gas, which depletes your blood of the nourishment supplied by oxygen. You should give up all nicotine items a minimum of 6 weeks prior to your surgical treatment, or else all bets are off! Certain surgeries also have a higher chance of recovery problems than others. Any surgery where a flap of skin is developed (for example an abdominoplasty procedure or a breast lift enhancement) requires extra unique care to attain excellent recovery and minimal scars. Over activity instantly after a surgery is also bad for scars as it can pull on the scar and trigger it to expand. A distressing scar requires to be cleaned thoroughly and in some cases even eliminate and sutured to get optimal healing.
There are different issues a scar can have, and each issue is dealt with in a different way. It is extremely essential to understand that there are various kinds of unsightly scars that require various type of prevention and treatment. For the functions of an organized conversation, scars can be divided up into groups that consist of: THICK SCARS, RED SCARS, BROWN SCARS, WHITE SCARS, WIDE SCARS, INDENTED SCARS, and INADEQUATELY COVERT SCARS.
THICK SCARS: There are specific people that are genetically prone to making "bad" scars. Think it or not, these are really people that are prone to over healing. A scar is essentially a collection of collagen, blood vessels and epithelium (the external layer of skin) trying to close a flaw in the skin layer of the body. Some people tend to set too much collagen, producing a thick red scar. This type raised or scarring is called hypertrophic scarring. A keloid is an extreme kind of hypertrophic scar that grows like a tumor ... beyond the borders of the original break in the skin. I typically find that many individuals error a hypertrophic scars for keloids, or even typical scars for keloids! Just because you think your scar might look much better, doesn't mean it is a keloid. Hypertrophic or keloid scars do not always happen regularly-- an individual prone to them can develop them with one surgery and not the next ... or they can occur on certain parts of the body (the breast bone and scalp are particularly susceptible) and not others. Hypertrophic scarring normally happens in people that are genetically prone to it (African American, Asian, Italian, American Indian), basically practically all darker skin types.
In reality, if you have blonde hair and blue eyes, you have a far better chance of recovery scar without any density to it at all. In basic, the amount of collagen you have in your scar is at its biggest in 6 weeks to 3 months after the skin injury (or surgery), so this is the time to actually make certain you do whatever you can to keep the scar flat. Inflammation to your scar (i.e. excessive motion in the location or rubbing on the scar by tight clothing) can promote the scar to "over heal" and become hypertrophic. THE TREATMENT: Pressure, Silicone, and vitamin E. Consistent pressure on the scar (either with tape or silicone gel sheeting) as well as massage in the very first 6 months of healing can dramatically decrease the thickness of a scar. In basic, I have my patients use a micropore tape for the very first one to six months after surgery. Silicone gel sheets are likewise made which assist to achieve the same goal. These products work particularly well in individuals who are generically susceptible to making hypertrophic or keloidal scars. Even old scars can be treated by pressure and massage, however remember it can require time. Finally, if all else fails and it has actually been over a year, think about laser resurfacing or laser elimination (using a laser to reduce the thick location) or scar modification (a surgical treatment to eliminate the scar, re-suture it, and "try once again!").
RED SCARS. All scars are at first red. This is a completely typical phenomenon and is because of increased blood circulation to the location and extra blood vessels forming to bring all the advantages in your blood to the area that requires to recover. More blood circulation, suggests more soreness, which is completely normal. In truth, the scar can often even take on a purplish color. It is important to recognize that even in the very best of situations, soreness just starts going away after seven months. It can take a year or longer for it to completely fade. People who have trouble with soreness for a longer time period are usually light skinned, and are the very same individuals whose entire face turns a brilliant red when you explain that their fly is open. Vitamin E and C can reduce the amount of red in a scar. If you are in a rush, you can get rid of inflammation quicker with an IPL pulsed light treatment. But persistence is normally the key, and with time it will improve. SUGGESTION: preventing sun and tanning bed direct exposure likewise assists to reduce the redness of a scar.
BROWN SCARS: People with darker skin are likewise vulnerable to produce more of the brown pigment called melanin. This deposits preferentially around scars, and causes what is known as hyperpigmentation of the scar. It can get worse with time and sun direct exposure. To reduce melanin deposition on a scar a couple of things can work: you can use a lightening cream such as hydroquinone, or you can peel the scar with products that contain onion extract or glycolic acid. It takes numerous months of this treatment to lighten a scar, and it might never ever absolutely lighten to the very same color of the surrounding skin.
WHITE SCARS: Generally, a thin white scar is the goal of any surgical treatment ... unless your surrounding skin is not white. If the white really stands apart (for instance a scar around your areola), one alternative is to carry out cosmetic tattooing of the scar. Scar camouflage is carried out by matching the color of the surrounding skin with a tattoo done straight over the scar. It can take more than one treatment to sufficiently camouflage the scar, and it requires an artistic touch.
LARGE SCARS: Having thin skin, or just putting excessive pull on a scar instantly after surgery, can trigger a broad scar. Cosmetic surgeons are especially proficient at preventing this from taking place by using unique suturing techniques to distribute the tension on the scar and supply it with the most support. The timeless example of an expanded scar is the stretch marks a female gets after pregnancy. Problem for everyone that has stretch marks: there is NO GOOD TREATMENT for stretch marks. Unless the collagen can in some way be restored from the inside out (science hasn't figured that a person out yet), your only opportunity is to remove the scar surgically. In plastic surgery, we call this an abdominoplasty (a tummy tuck). Any scar can become expanded like a stretch mark. Excessive stress on a scar after surgery (i.e. not resting!) throughout the crucial very first month of healing can result in a scar widening. I like to utilize an unique sort of tape to offer extra assistance to a scar throughout this first month. The tape assists to hold the scar together, and advises you not to pull on it too much. If a scar still ends up being broad, you can try an ablative laser (such as a CO2 or an Erbium laser), or have it modified (re-done) in surgical treatment.
INDENTED SCARS: A scar that indents catches light and produces a shadow in such a method that it ends up being really obvious. This normally takes place due to the fact that there is extra scar tissue underneath the scar that is attaching it to much deeper structures such as muscle or bone. In the preliminary phases of scar development you can massage a scar to avoid it from attaching to these deep structures. Nevertheless if it has actually been more than a year that the scar is indented, you will need to have the scar surgically modified to make it much better.
BADLY HIDDEN SCARS: Some scars, although they have actually healed great, are simply in a bad spot. Case in points consist of the face or the décolleté. Often the only thing you can do with these are camouflage them with makeup (there are several brands of camouflage makeup that are specifically developed to cover scars), or use some really unique cosmetic surgery techniques (a Z plasty is one example) to alter the direction of, or to hide, these scars.
In summary, bear in mind that with every scar on your body, the key is to prevent it from taking place in the very first place. Be healthy, follow these tips, and be patient. Your scar will generally improve. If genes and health are not on your side, there are numerous choices available to help you eliminate the many type of scars out there ... work with your physician to learn what will work the very best for you!
