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.
You cannot get rid of a scar, but most will fade over time.
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.
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.
Hypertrophic Scars – Raised scars that remain within the boundaries of the initial injury, incision or trauma, hypertrophic scars can be red and raised enough to be readily noticeable. In some cases, hypertrophic scars will fade over time on their own.
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.
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.
When a scar first develops on lighter skin, it's usually pink or red. Over time, the pinkish color fades, and the scar becomes slightly darker or lighter than the color of the skin. In people with dark skin, scars often appear as dark spots. Sometimes scars itch, and they may be painful or tender.
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 some people, scar tissue may cause pain, tightness, itching, or difficulty moving. Due to how scar tissue matures, these symptoms may occur years after an injury.
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.
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.
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.
Some scars fade over time. If yours doesn't and it bothers you, treatments can make a scar less noticeable, such as skin-smoothing medicated creams, waterproof makeup, or even minor surgery. Talk to your parent and doctor to find out if any of these treatments would be right for you.
How should I care for a scar following surgery/injury? Pat dry your scar after a bath or shower. Use a non-perfumed moisturising cream such as E45 cream or aqueous cream to moisturise the skin surrounding your scar twice a day. Avoid picking or scratching your 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.
Moisture helps new skin cells form and repair the wound. This may also apply to scabs. Keeping a scab moist with petroleum jelly and protected with a bandage may help the wound heal faster than if you leave the scab dry. Whether the scab is dry or moist, it's important to make sure it doesn't peel off prematurely.
Hypertrophic scars occur when there is a lot of tension around a healing wound. These scars are thick and raised, and often red in color. They may remain like this for several years. Hypertrophic scars are the result of an imbalance in collagen at the site of the wound.
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.
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 ...
Background: Self-cutting using a razor blade is a type of self-mutilating behavior that leaves permanent and socially unacceptable scars with unique patterns, particularly on the upper extremities and anterior chest wall.