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.
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.
Once a scar forms, it is permanent, but skillful scar treatment can restore mobility of the face and make the appearance of scars less obvious.
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.
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.
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.
They found that women preferred men with facial scars for short-term relationships and equally preferred scarred and un-scarred faces for long-term relationships. Men, however, regarded women with and without facial scars as equally attractive for both types of relationship.
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.
Expect to have the scars for most if not all of your life if you decide not to get treatment. Even with treatment, acne scars are difficult to heal. There's no 100% guarantee that the acne scars will be completely gone. But most treatments reduce the size of the acne scars and make them less visible.
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.
They're often thick and raised and are the result of too much collagen being made in response to an injury, as opposed to not enough. Vitamin C has only been shown to be successful at helping reduce the appearance of hypertrophic scars because of its ability to regulate collagen production.
Cho et al. reported that patients with vitamin D deficiency had increased scar pigmentation, decreased epidermal barrier function in scar tissue, and lower scar elasticity and greater scar rigidity compared to non-deficient burn patients.
Moisturize Atrophic Scars
This will help to keep your skin hydrated making it appear less dry and rough around the scar. Try using a non-comedogenic moisturizer, like Vaseline® Jelly – it won't clog your pores and is appropriate for use on sensitive areas, like the face.
More doctors and pharmacists recommended Mederma than any other brand for older and newer scars. It works for many types of scars, including acne scars, surgery scars, and scars from burns, cuts, and other injuries.
And the onion extract gel did not improve scar cosmesis over the petrolatum, the Vaseline. The result was the same. So you can kind of save your money with that one. Also, Mederma can cause some skin allergies.