What is a scar?

Scar tissue is produced by the body when the skin has been cut or broken open. It's the bodys way of replacing the damaged tissue with stronger healthier tissue. Scar tissue is tougher than regular tissue, however it is also less flexible.

A scar can occur for a variety of reasons. The first is simply genetics. Normal scar tissue is paler then the surrounding skin, flush with the surface of the skin, and typically is less sensative to touch or pain. Certain skin types (olive, dark, mediterranean, african, for example) scar easier than others. These skin types also tend to be prone to keloids and hypertrophic scars. Both keloids and hypertrophic scars are conditions in which the body produces an excess of scar tissue. Both are characterized by a scar thats raised above the surface of the skin, a scar thats darker tan the surrounding skin, and a scar that may be sensative or painful to touch. The difference between the two is that a keloid spreads beyond the border of the cut while a hypertrophic scar remains within the border of the cut. This is not to say that all persons with dark skin get keloids or hypertrophic scars, nor is it to say that light skinned people never get them. However skin type can be a contributing factor to the amount and type of scarring that a person experiences. Unfortunately, theres not much that can be done about this, except that if you know you have this skin type, you can treat your wounds extra carefully.

Scars may fade until they are almost unnoticable, but they never disappear completely. Scars are permanent. For that reason, its best to prevent scarring as a cut heals as much as possible.

Preventing Scarring

Plain and simply, the faster a cut heals, the less scarring there will be. So, it follows that the smaller the cut, the less scarring there will be. A large cut can be made smaller if the edges are somehow held together so that the cut takes up less surface area. This is ideally done with sutures, although in some cases steri strips are enough. Closing the cut once its been disinfected will also prevent infectious substances from getting in. Infection prolongs healing and causes more damage to the tissue, so preventing infection will reduce the chance of excessive scarring. Products such as Neosporin and Bacitracin also help to speed healing and prevent infection and can be very effective in reducing scarring as the cut heals.

DO NOT INTEREFERE WITH THE WOUND HEALING - If you do - you can guarentee bad scarring...

Burns

Cold water will not only ease pain in the medium term (though it might sting to start with), but also significantly help reduce the scarring left by burns. Once you have stopped the burning, cover the burned area with a thick gauze pad then leave it alone for at least 24 hours. Burns heal better when left to repair themselves. After than, you can wash the injured skin gently with mild soap and water or a Betadine solution. Betadine is available from some pharmacies. An over-the-counter antibiotic ointment will discourage infection and promote healing. Look for an ointment containing polymyxin B sulfate or bacitracin. Two or three days after you've been burned, try rubbing some aloe vera on the burn. You can either break a stem from an aloe plant or purchase aloe cream. It's available without a prescription. Leave any and all blisters alone. Do not try to pop them. They're your body's natural burn bandages. If one should pop, cleanse the area with mild soap and water, and then cover the area with antibiotic ointment.

Reducing Scarring (Normal Scar Tissue)

If the cut develops normal scar tissue (flat, light, painless), then theres not much that can be done to make it less obvious. Vitamin E has been proven to help reduce scarring. This can be found in various products such as Vit E capsules - simply spread the liquid onto scars from these capsules. Taking plently of vitamins and esspecially ZINC - has again shown time and again to be effective. Makeup can also be used to cover it. There are theories that if you have skin color that stays pretty uniform year round, you could tattoo the scar tissue the same color as your natural skin. That would only work on scars that are paler than the rest of the skin, because a tattoo can make something darker, but it cant make something lighter. I'm yet to hear from anyone else who has tried this, but according to several respected tattoo artists, it's very definitely possible. There are also various surgeries which effectively reduce or remove scar tissue, however these are expensive and have variable results. In addition, a doctor will typically insist that a person be recovered from their self injury for a certain amount of time before they will perform surgery to eliminate or reduce self inflicted scarring.

Scar reduction cream can be effective if put on early (the moment the scab naturally falls off)

Again - do not interfere with the wound healing - or bad scarring will result...

Reducing Scarring (Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars)

If a scar is hypertrophic or keloidal (raised, dark, sensative), then there are a few other options which will reduce the appearance of the scar, effectively turning it into normal scar tissue. I'm prone to hypertrophic scars, and I've been seeing good results with silicone sheets. These are just thin flat pieces of silicone which you tape on top of the scar with special water based adhesive tape. You can leave the sheet on all day, or just at night, or for a few hours per day, as long as you take it off at least once a day to wash it with a mild soap. Of course the longer you leave it on, the faster you'll see results. The sheets can be washed and reused indefinitely.