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.
A spot that is a few shades darker than your natural skin color will usually fade within 6 to 12 months. If the color lies deep in your skin, however, fading can take years. Discoloration that lies deep in the skin is often slate blue to gray in color.
Lemon is naturally acidic and could help remove upper layers of skin to reduce the appearance of your scars and improve skin tone. Mixing in a bit of honey – diluting the lemon juice before applying – could help minimize irritation.
Keloid scars
A keloid scar is an overgrowth of tissue that occurs when too much collagen is produced at the site of the wound. The scar keeps growing, even after the wound has healed. Keloid scars are raised above the skin and are red or purple when newly formed, before gradually becoming paler.
It can take up to 12-18 months after your injury or operation for a scar to heal. A normal scar will become darker initially and after a period of time this will start to fade. Dark scars can remain for years or indefinitely in people with darker skin.
Scars may be darker at first and fade to a lighter color over time as part of the scar maturation process. Mature scars can also flatten out as they go through this aging process, but it's important to note that scars will never go away completely.
Usually, light chemical peels are adequate treatments to remove dark scars or reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. That said, you may also find that chemical peels can help even the texture of atrophic scars as well, particularly when the treatment is used regularly.
Many scars fade over time, and though there are no treatments to make scars disappear entirely, there are medical treatments and home remedies that may help reduce their appearance, depending on the type of scar.
Exfoliation is an essential step in fading scars and dark spots. By removing dead skin cells, you're helping new, healthy skin to surface. However, it's crucial to exfoliate gently to avoid further irritating your skin. Opt for a mild exfoliant 1-2 times a week that promotes skin renewal without over-drying.
Scars seem to get worse before they get better. For about six weeks after surgery the scar becomes red, firm and hard. This is the body's way of making a very strong and solid scar. Over the next four months the scar will soften and lose the redness.
In most cases, dark spots will go away on their own with time, but you can speed up the process and improve the appearance of your skin.
Using peachy/orangey shades should help. Brown is blue based so you'd need an orange tone to correct it. Depending on how dark or light they are is how you figure what shade of orange you need. The darker the mark, the more orange you need.
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.
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.
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.
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Or your healthcare provider may recommend applying corticosteroid cream or a silicone gel sheet to the area. If you have dark skin, ask your provider about using a skin-lightening cream with hydroquinone to lighten scars.
Scars can fade over time as the jumbled collagen fibers within them begin to flatten and smooth out, Cooney said. This process can take around six to 18 months. How much a scar fades depends on its size, location and type.
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.