Why is my scar raised after years?

Author: Jerad Labadie  |  Last update: Sunday, April 27, 2025

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.

What causes old scars to raise?

Collagen is thicker than the rest of your skin. This thicker, less flexible tissue becomes a scar. Most scars are flat. However, sometimes your body makes extra collagen that results in a raised scar.

Why would an old scar swell up?

Fibroblasts, which form during scar tissue growth, are responsible for fibrosis. If the fibroblasts do not clear over time, they cause prolonged inflammation. Other symptoms associated with scar tissue include itching, swelling, and tenderness or sensitivity.

Why is my scar becoming raised?

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.

How do you flatten old raised scars?

Treatments include the following:
  1. Corticosteroid shots. The medicine in these shots helps shrink the scar.
  2. Freezing the scar. Called cryotherapy, this can be used to reduce the hardness and size of the scar. ...
  3. Wearing silicone sheets or gel over the scar. ...
  4. Laser therapy. ...
  5. Surgical removal. ...
  6. Pressure treatment.

Do Hypertrophic Scars Go Away? | Dr. Angela Sturm

Can you shrink a raised scar?

You cannot get rid of a keloid scar, but there are treatments that can help improve how it looks and reduce irritation. Treatments may include: steroid injections or cream. silicone dressings or gels.

How do you plump up indented scars?

Soft tissue fillers.

Injecting collagen, fat or other substances under the skin can plump the skin over indented scars. The goal is to make the scars less noticeable. Results are temporary, so repeat treatments are needed to retain the effect.

When is it too late to massage scar tissue?

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.

What does an atrophic scar look like?

Atrophic scars are the opposite of hypertrophic scars. They are depressed, sunken and often have a pitted appearance.

What is an abnormally raised scar?

A keloid scar is a thick raised scar. It can occur wherever you have a skin injury but usually forms on earlobes, shoulders, cheeks or the chest. If you're prone to developing keloids, you might get them in more than one place. A keloid scar isn't harmful to your physical health, but it can cause emotional distress.

Can an old scar turn cancerous?

Skin cancer can develop in scar tissue, although it is rare. Scar tissue provides an environment where abnormal cells can grow. These abnormal cells can form tumors over time. The most common type of skin cancer found in scars is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

What does skin sarcoidosis look like?

Sarcoidosis of the skin can look many ways. The most common lesions are small bumps and broad, raised skin lesions. They are often red-brown or purple, but can also be flesh colored or shades of tan or brown. They can be smooth or rough.

How to get rid of hypertrophic scars?

If a hypertrophic scar or keloid develops after surgery, dermatologists recommend getting steroid injections every four to six weeks, limiting the total number of injections to five. The procedure takes about 15 minutes, and often no anesthesia is required.

Why are my old scars becoming more visible?

Sunken scars can become more noticeable as you age. This happens when the skin relaxes and sags, causing the depressions to become more noticeable.

What do old old scars indicate?

Answer: The second stanza mentions the bird clanging his wings against the bars until it bleeds. The bird's "old, old scars" suggests that the bird has done this many times before, wanting terribly to get out.

What is scar sarcoidosis?

Scar sarcoidosis is characterized by the onset of erythematous swelling and the development of papules and nodules within the original scars. In cases of cutaneous or subcutaneous swelling in the area of an old scar or beside a scar, a scar sarcoidosis is a possible differential diagnosis (1).

What is a vascular scar?

A vascular scar typically appears reddish in color due to blood vessels near the surface of the skin. Though oftentimes these scars face over time, they can sometimes be disfiguring or a source of insecurity for some people depending on the severity, size, and location of the scar.

What is scar contracture?

Scar contractures, which are characterized by reduced joint motion due to scarring, are distinct from joint contractures where the joint itself is contracted. These contractures commonly occur on extremities and are notably prevalent over joints with long-axial scars.

Can atrophic scars be raised?

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.

Will massaging a scar flatten it?

Scar massage is a way of softening and flattening scars. It can stop scar tissue build up and help make scars less noticeable. Your scar or scars will continue to grow and change for about twelve to eighteen months, so the earlier and more regularly you massage your scar, the less the chance of long-term problems.

What is considered an older scar?

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.

Does heat help break up scar tissue?

Increased temperature is a common physiological effect that helps to break down scar tissue. Increased temperature involves both superficial and deep tissues increasing in temperature. Increasing temperature of tissues within the body helps to loosen scar tissue.

Will a raised scar ever flatten?

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.

Does mederma work on atrophic scars?

Mederma PM Cream can be used on atrophic scars such as acne and chicken pox scars. Mederma® PM Cream may help to smooth and soften the edges of the pox mark but it will not cause the indented area to fill in. By smoothing the edges, the mark may become less noticeable.

Why are some scars raised and some indented?

Raised scars, known as keloid or hypertrophic scars, can form when the body produces too much collagen during healing. Pitted scars can result from the loss of muscle tissue or fat below the skin due to injury. With the normal shedding and regrowth of the dermis, superficial scars often disappear on their own.

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