What's Your Scar Type & How to Treat It

Posted By May

Healing is a process. It's a journey that takes a lot of time, effort and patience. Not only that, it often leaves scars that tell a story of how it came to be.

Whether you see it as a battle scar worth showing off, or if you want to erase it as an unwanted remnant of a bittersweet past, we support you all the way.

As far as science goes, without surgical/dermatological treatment, scars don't entirely go away after healing. Topical ointments/creams can help heal and reduce its appearance, but the scar remains. Fortunately, not all hope is lost. Let's explore the ways to help improve the appearance of scars.

But first, get the lay of the land. You might have to tailor-fit the solution to what kind of scar you have, the timing and how minor/severe the healed wound is.

What's your scar type?

Scars are the marks left on the skin after a wound/injury has healed. Depending on the situation, you can have different kinds of scars:

Fine-line scar

Think, paper cuts or knife wounds from vegetable-chopping accidents in the kitchen. This scar appears as a thin line remnant of the healed wound/injury.

Treatment

For this concern, scar creams and ointments can help. Check out the recommendations below and the Scar Care Shopping Guide for more options.

Widespread scar

This is just like the first type but is significantly thicker in width.

Treatment

For this concern, scar creams and ointments can help. Check out the recommendations below and the Scar Care Shopping Guide for more options.

Atrophic

Resulting from a loss of underlying fat, these scars are concaved, where the scar burrows lower than the surrounding skin. This is also called pitted, sunken or ice-pick scar. Examples are acne and chickenpox scars.

Treatment

For this concern, scar creams and ointments can help. Check out the recommendations below and the Scar Care Shopping Guide for more options.

Hypertrophic

As opposed to atrophic/sunken scars, hypertrophic scars protrude outward or looks like a bumpy scar. Excess collagen formation is restricted within the site of the wound.

Treatment

Treatments to help flatten the scar-like silicone gels/sheets/pads might help, as well as doctor-provided steroid injections to reduce inflammation.

Keloid

Keloid scars are similar to hypertrophic scars that form from excess collagen, but the difference is that keloid scars can extend/grow beyond the site of the wound.

Treatment

Recommended treatments for keloid scars are surgery to remove the scar, or using silicone sheets to flatten it.

Contracture

Scar contractures are often caused by burns. With this scar, the skin shrinks/contracts and tightens.

Treatment

Depending on the severity, it might need surgical removal/treatment for grave burn scars or scar creams/ointments for minor contracture scars.

Give It Time to Heal

Since scars naturally fade in time, you might want to observe it first to see if you really need the treatment.

Give it about six months to a year before attempting to reduce/remove the scar.

6 ways to treat scars

Scars fade but do not disappear entirely without surgery. Here are some ways to treat scars and help your body heal:

1. Conceal/camouflage

Makeup concealers and scar camouflage tools are a great way to hide scars on a daily basis, while it hasn't fully faded yet. Here are some great scar concealers:

Babor
AGE ID Camouflage Cream 06

Jane Iredale
Disappear Full Coverage Concealer - Medium

2. Laser Therapy
Laser scar removal minimizes the appearance of scars for a few sessions in a non-surgical way with no downtime. Unlike surgical scar removal that requires incisions, Laser Scar Removal uses fractional laser light to break down scar tissue and trigger healthy new tissue production.

3. Dermal Fillers
When injected in the skin, the filler safely replaces the hyaluronic acid the skin has lost, restores its volume and smoothens facial wrinkles and folds. It will plump up tissues and bind collagen stores.

4. Skin Needling
Micro-needling reduces fine lines and wrinkles, yielding younger-looking skin with fewer signs of aging. The SkinPen® technology that Eternal Skin Care uses also has a very positive effect on hyperpigmentation, scarring, and stretch marks, creating refreshed and brightened skin.

5. Surgery
Scars can be removed surgically, such as through skin grafts and excision. Skin grafting is a process of getting a part of your skin and using that to remove/replace the scarred skin. Excision is surgically removing the scar.

6. Massage & Scar Creams

VivierSkin
V-STAT Advanced Scar Gel

Avene
Cicalfate Restorative Cream

Depending on how minor or grave your wound/scar is, make sure to consult your doctor as well on top of doing your homework. Our dermatological advisors are always on standby to help you answer any skincare questions you may have. Just reach out to us, your skincare partner for life.

VIEW REFERENCES:

ESK Blog

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What's Your Scar Type & How to Treat It

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