Scars

Scars are those pale-colored or dark-colored marks on your body left behind after an injury has healed. When only the top layer of the skin is damaged, the wound doesn’t create a scar. But when the wound is deeper, your body’s natural healing process develops a thicker patch of skin. This is what you see as the scar.

You may want to treat a scar simply for aesthetic reasons. The scars may be in a conspicuous location like on your face, leg or arm, making you feel self-conscious. If your scars are large enough and visible enough, you even become depressed about them. To minimize your anxiety about your scars, seek medical help from an experienced dermatologist.

In rare cases, some types of skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma, show up looking like as a scar. Getting your scars checked by a dermatologist is the best way to prevent cancerous cells from being misdiagnosed.

What Are the Different Types of Scars?

Our doctors first determines what type of scars you have, since there are several. Each type looks a little different and each may require a specific type of remedy. The scar types include:

• Flat scar. Pink or reddish in color initially, this scar then flattens and changes color as you heal.
• Raised scar. These are easy to spot, as you can feel the raised surface. You often find such scars on the chest, upper back or shoulder. If the scar is big enough or near a joint like the shoulders, or elbows, it may restrict the flexibility of that joint.
• Depressed scar. These look like sunken or pitted holes. They usually appear on your face. Severe acne causes three distinct types of depressed scarring: the boxcar, icepick or rolling, each of which require different treatment methods. You also get depressed scars if you had chickenpox.
• Keloid. Perhaps the most difficult to prevent are keloids. These appear months or even a year after an injury and are usually larger than the actual wound. As they grow, you may feel itchiness or even pain in the area. While flat and raised scars do eventually blend in with your skin, keloids always need treatment.
• Contracture scar. Burn victims usually see this type of scarring. As the body tries to heal itself, the new tissues come tighter and thicker. This makes movement more difficult, especially if the scarred tissue is near a joint, because the skin is less flexible.
• Stretch marks. You usually see these after a pregnancy or after rapid weight loss or gain. The connective tissue in the skin breaks down due to the sudden weight change, causing red, purple or dark brown marks, which turn silver or white over time.

Different Treatments for Scars

Your treatment depends on how the scars were formed and how deep they are. Your dermatologist carefully examines your scar tissue, as well as the surrounding skin. Medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or even a cardiovascular disease often require a custom-made treatment plan to ensure success. To determine your scar treatment, your skin expert considers:

• The cause of you scar – whether the scar came from an accidental injury, a burn event, acne, surgery, etc.
• The size and depth of the wound
• The location of the scar
• How the wound was initially treated, as immediate action often causes less noticeable scarring

As a result, you may undergo treatments that include:

• Pressure therapy
• Silicone gel sheet or ointment
• Polyurethane dressing
• Laser and radiofrequency treatments
• Corticosteroid injections
• Stretch mark removal
• Bleomycin injections
• Cryosurgery
• Surgical scar removal
• Botox for surgical scars