You cannot get rid of a scar, but most scars fade over time without any treatment. If a scar is more severe or bothering you, a GP may be able to recommend treatments or refer you to a specialist. The aim of treatment is to help improve how the scar looks.
A fine scar resulting from a well healed wound is likely to fade away by itself whereas a wide scar resulting from a wound that has not healed properly will take more time to fade.
Depending on the scar type, scars can take up to two years to fade naturally. After the two-year mark, it's unlikely your scar will fade anymore. Scarring is a natural part of the healing process following tissue damage. Most wounds cause the skin tissue to break, releasing collagen.
Over the following 6-12 months, the scar will gradually become smoother, softer and paler. Although scars are permanent, they can fade over a period of up to two years. It's unlikely they'll fade anymore after this time. These changes vary from person to person.
These are several types of scars, including: Keloid scars. These are scars that grow bigger than the original wound. Instead of stopping when the skin is healed, the body keeps making collagen for months — or even years — after the injury, creating a raised scar.
Keloid Scars
Some keloids continue to grow months or years after the original injury heals. A true Keloid scar extends beyond the area of insult where a hypertrophic scar is increased scar tissue that stays within the borders of the original injury. Scientists aren't sure why some scars develop in this way.
You cannot get rid of a scar, but most will fade over time. This can take up to 2 years or more, but there are some things you can do to help it heal or improve how it looks.
At the end of this process, which varies in duration and can take up to 2 years, the scar will take on its final appearance: paler, softer and insensitive.
He explains that “a scar is actually a bunch of unorganized collagen in the dermal layer of the skin.” Over time, the tissue will try to reorganize, and the scar may appear to soften, but the skin may never completely return to its original state — particularly if the cut extends beyond the epidermis, the skin's outer ...
Some scars cause problems months or years later. As nerve endings grow back, the scar may become painful or itchy. Skin cancer can develop in scars, especially in burn scars.
After a scar is first formed, the body continues to touch up its work where it can - which is why scars fade slightly over the years when left alone. But scar tissue does not get replaced by this process2, which means that most scars, when left to heal naturally, will never fully disappear.
Cocoa butter cream and Vaseline are most often used to help reduce the appearance of scars. Applying the ointment daily will help heal scars but will not make them invisible. Another tip for caring for your scars includes surgery. Surgery will not eliminate the scar but can change its shape or make it less noticeable.
Atrophic scars are the opposite of hypertrophic scars. They are depressed, sunken and often have a pitted appearance.
Mederma gel is designed to tackle a range of scar types including acne scars, burn scars, injury and surgical scars, old scars and more. It contains Cepalin® botanical extract, for old and new scars.
While some scars won't go away by themselves, there are others where time does the trick to minimize the appearance of the scar. For dark scars that are primarily superficial, the best scar removal treatment is simply time and your natural skin cell turnover cycle.
For best results, you should perform scar massage for at least 10 minutes, twice a day, for six months. You should only stop sooner than that if the scar starts showing signs of infection or you experience intolerable discomfort.
Scar Process
It will take six to 18 months for the scar to have its final appearance. Your scar should gradually soften and fade over these six to 18 months, but will look pink initially (photo B). Some scars never fade. If your scar stays pink after 12 to 18 months please call to discuss options.
Hypertrophic scars that result from burn wounds are more difficult to treat. Superficial burn wounds usually heal without forming hypertrophic scars. Deep burn wounds are harder to treat. Many dermatologic and plastic surgeons treat these by removing the burned area and then using a skin graft.
Between 3 months and 2 years the scar should become paler, flatter and softer and can then be referred to as a 'mature' scar.
You then want to move adjacent to the scar and move the skin in all directions, up and down and left and right. It is recommended to perform scar massage on a daily basis to have the greatest affect on scar development, pain reduction, and scar mobility.
Skin cancer can also develop in scar tissue that forms after a serious burn or other injury. The skin cancer that most commonly forms where skin has been badly burned is squamous cell skin cancer, which tends to appear years after the injury.
Vitamin E may be hailed as a new miracle regarding scar reduction and fading. However, the lack of clinical evidence suggests that using vitamin E for scars is ineffective and, thus, not necessary.
Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids
If the skin creates excessive amounts of collagen while it heals, the result is a thick, widened, and sometime raised scar that remains within the boundary of the injury. This is called a hypertrophic scar.