Scar Removal Treatment Tip: Know Your Scar Type
Contrary to popular belief scarring in itself is not an abnormal biological process but it is part of how the body copes with skin injury such as wounds and infection. It is part of the healing process that kicks in whenever the skin is damaged. In this article are the different possibilities that may occur during the scarring process. Knowing what type of scars you have, especially if you have had the scars for a long while, will help you arrive at an appropriate scar removal treatment.
The healing process will involve the skin trying to create new collagen fibers (which is a natural component of skin tissue that accounts for its elasticity and suppleness) on the wounded tissue.
However, wounded tissues sometimes tend to overdo it and they sometimes create more collagen fibers than its original state before the skin got damaged and this gets in the way of the process regenerating the original skin tissues. When collagen fiber “over expresses”, it creates a different sort of skin that is distinctive from unwounded skin. It will have a different quality, texture and feel to it and will not regain the integrity of that it previously had. Boxers with scar tissues on their face tend to re-open their wounds when it gets hit hard enough in succeeding fights. Scar tissue is not as tough as the original skin which it replace.
Two Types of Abnormal Scarring
Sometimes, collagen is controlled during the healing process and the skin is able to heal itself into re-forming normal skin tissues. This process may take weeks to years to finish depending on the severity of the wound.
Abnormal scarring occurs when collagen over reacts and manifests itself into some distinctive scarring formation.
There are two types of abnormal scarring:
1. Hypertrophic scarring are scar formation that is characterized by a raised lump that is sometimes reddish. They tend not to grow beyond the boundaries of the skin and often improve appearance with time. The bigger the wound and depending on how old you are, the longer it will take for this improvement to happen but it usually happen within a few years (Learn about some of your options when it comes to hypertrophic scar treatment).
2. Keloid scarring is a more serious form of scarring because they can progressively grow beyond the boundaries of the wound indefinitely. Many people get concerned about keloids because they can become benign tumors that can turn ugly in appearance. They are usually taken seriously due to the cosmetic problem that they pose.
3. Pitted (or recessed) scarring happens when the support (e.g. fat tissues) beneath the skin are lost due to a number of reasons like contracting chickenpox, acne or surgery.
4. Stretch marks (or striae) are abnormal scarring that occurs when the skin undergoes rapid stretching due to pregnancy, weight gain, etc.
Reference: Wikipedia
Knowing what type of abnormal scarring you may have is a good prerequisite to arriving at the best possible scar removal treatment. After all, unless you have abnormal scarring, there is a chance that you do not even need any treatment at all apart from the usual scar cream application regimen. In that case, what you need is just a little patience to wait it all out.
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009