Types of Scars As skin heals the scar will flatten. The scar coloring will either blend with the surrounding tissue or appear lighter or darker. A hypertrophic scar is a thick raised scar. It's an abnormal response to wound healing in which extra connective tissue forms within the original wound area.
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.
The overgrown scar tissue can get large and may affect movement. Raised (hypertrophic): You can feel a hypertrophic scar when you run your finger over it. These raised scars may get smaller over time, but they never completely flatten out.
With deeper wounds (into the dermis layer and lower), your body responds by making collagen to repair the wound. Collagen is thicker than the rest of your skin. This thicker, less flexible tissue becomes a scar. Most scars are flat.
Raised scars are the opposite of depressed scars: They form when your skin produces too much excess tissue after acne breakouts. They appear as raised bumps on your skin, and they're typically very firm.
Types of Scars
As skin heals the scar will flatten. The scar coloring will either blend with the surrounding tissue or appear lighter or darker. A hypertrophic scar is a thick raised scar. It's an abnormal response to wound healing in which extra connective tissue forms within the original wound area.
Atrophic scars are the opposite of hypertrophic scars. They are depressed, sunken and often have a pitted appearance.
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.
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.
Larger keloids can be flattened by pulsed-dye laser sessions. This method has also been useful in easing itchiness and causing keloids to fade. Pulsed-dye laser therapy is delivered over several sessions with 4 to 8 weeks between sessions. Your doctor might recommend combining laser therapy with cortisone injections.
Lasers may be used to smooth a scar, remove the abnormal color of a scar, or flatten a scar. Most laser therapy for keloid scars is done in conjunction with other treatments, including injections of steroids, use of special dressings, and the use of bandages.
Most surgical incisions will take approximately 2 weeks to heal and be considered closed. However, the overall length of time for the scar to heal is 9-12 months. This is the time it takes for any scar to mature into a pale and flat scar.
Hypertrophic scars typically flatten on their own within several months to a year. 3 However, depending on their location, they may cause discomfort and, thus, require treatment. Silicone sheets: You may be able to flatten hypertrophic scars at home by covering them with a silicone gel sheet.
A keloid scar is when a scar keeps growing and becomes bigger than the original wound. It can happen if you have too much of a substance called collagen in your skin. It can happen after any sort of injury or damage to your skin such as a cut, burn, surgery, acne or a body piercing.
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.
Immediately following wound healing, a scar is usually red in appearance and is referred to as an 'immature' scar. Between 3 months and 2 years the scar should become paler, flatter and softer and can then be referred to as a 'mature' scar.
The timing of silicone scar sheet use can affect its efficacy, but it is generally never too late to start using them. While the best results are often seen when treatment begins shortly after wound closure or the formation of a scar, established scars can also show improvement.
Caring for Scars
One tip for taking care of scars is to use a topical ointment. 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.
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.
Ice-pick scars are a common type of scarring that can occur as a result of the acne healing process. They appear as small, sharp indentations that are wider at the skin's surface and narrow into a point as they reach down into the skin.
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.
Fillers: These injections can raise the indented scars to help match the undamaged layer of skin above. Chemical peels: Topical chemicals applied to the face help remove the damaged layer of skin and cause it to peel, producing a fresh layer of skin underneath—a process known as skin resurfacing.