Scarring: What Are The Different Types Of Scars?

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Both hypertrophic and keloid scarring are more common on younger and darker skinned persons. Although anyone can incur these scars, some have a genetic predisposition to them. Surgery, accidents, and acne cause these types of scars. Keloid scars form spontaneously on some patients.

Being accumulations of collagen, keloid scars are not harmful or contagious, but still un-attractive. They are commonly found on a person's chest and shoulders. Keloid scars are very common in people of Asian decent and African Americans.

Also, a scar can look sunken into the skin, looking like pits. When fat or muscle under the skin decreases beneath a scar, it becomes sunken. Acne can leave these types of scars, but so can an accident or surgery. A strong acne treatment gel with regenerative effects can be used to treat this type of acne scar.

Stretched skin is another type of scarring. These are made when the skin is stretched quickly (for example during pregnancy, or teenage growth spurts), or when skin is put under tension during the healing process (commonly near joints). After some years, these scars diminish in appearance.

Treatments for Scars

Scars cannot be gotten rid of completely. It will always leave a mark, but the scar can be improved cosmetically.

Simple Treatments

Some suggest that using products containing vitamin E, taking vitamin E supplements, or including plenty of vitamin E in one's diet, can help accelerate the healing process and lessen the appearance of any scar. Foods with vitamin E include eggs, nuts, wheat germ, and green vegtables.

On the other hand, there is another study that found that in one third of patients, vitamin E did not reduce the size, shape or color of scars and that it in fact caused allergic responses in some paitents. (Source: Baumann, Dermatologic Surgery, 1999).

Surgery

Attempting to reduce a scar with surgery yields a new scar that can take up to two years to stabilize. Although the surgery will not eliminate a scar, it can change its shape.

Surgery can sometimes make the scar larger, but improve its overall look. At times when a scar restricts movement on a joint, surgery can be performed but it will yield a new scar.


About the Author:
More severe scarring can occur after surgery on hypertrophic and keloid scarring, so it is not recommended.



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