Scar Removal 101: Pros, Cons, and Treatment Options
The visible marks on the legs can sometimes prevent you from wearing shorts or swimsuits on the beach or the blemishes on the face affect your self-confidence to interact with people. You may want to undergo scar removal to improve your looks and achieve smooth, flawless skin. But did you know that a scar is a natural way for the body to heal and replace any damaged or lost skin? The skin repairs itself with new tissue pulling together the wound and filling in the gaps. Scar tissue is mainly composed of a protein called collagen which has an essential role in your body like plumping up your skin.
Scars may look sunken, flat, bumpy, or colored on any part of the body. Whether they are visible or not, you may be asking about the methods on how to remove scar so you can have the clear, radiant skin you always wanted. Check out the following information to know more about scars including the best treatment options to eliminate them.
Common Factors that Affects Scar Appearance
Injuries or incidents like surgery, burn, or severe acne.
Age, genes, ethnicity, and health status of a person.
Size, severeness, and site of the wound.
Treatments received for healing the wound like stitches or bandages.
Different Types of Scars
Scars may develop on any part of the body. Various types of scars may be in the form of:
1. Acne - a common skin condition that affects teens and adults. It can appear on the face, chest, back, and shoulders. When the irritation goes away, unpleasant scars can be left behind. Acne scars can be more visible as you grow older because the skin loses collagen and elasticity.
2. Contracture – this frequently develops after a burn. It causes the skin to tighten which can impair movement, particularly when the scarring happens over a joint or gets into the muscles and nerves.
3. Depressed (atrophic) - these are sunken scars that are often caused by chickenpox or acne. They are like little indentations or rounded pits in the skin. These scars develop most frequently on the face.
4. Raised (hypertrophic) - You can feel this scar when you touch your finger over it. Although they get smaller over time, they do not flatten out. Hypertrophic scars do not spread outside the injured area.
5. Keloids – they are raised above the surface of the skin and extend beyond the wounded part. The scar tissue can get bigger and may affect the movement of a person.
6. Stretch Marks - the connective tissues below the skin can get damaged when the skin expands or shrinks fast. These usually develop during pregnancy or after gaining or losing so much weight. They appear on the stomach, thighs, breasts, and upper arms.
7. Flat - this scar flattens out while healing. They are colored pink or red and may become a little lighter or darker than the surrounding skin over time.
There are scar marks that may take time to disappear and are difficult to conceal. Health concerns arise when the scars penetrate deeper, damage the muscles and tissues, and impair a person’s mobility. If this happens, it is an option to undergo scar removal. Here are the advantages and disadvantages if you are considering going through a medical procedure to get rid of your scars.
Pros and Cons of Scar Removal
Pros
1. Keloids can cause discomfort and pain to a person. By undergoing surgeries for scar removal, the irritation and pain are minimized.
2. Some scars damage the skin and muscles. Scar revisions can restore flexibility and mobility in the affected part of the body.
3. Some procedures for scar removal are non-invasive. This lessens the anxiety of a person who is apprehensive to go under the knife.
4. Scar revisions can improve the skin tone and texture of the affected area. They even out skin layers and sometimes, fillers are inserted to plump up the skin to match its surrounding areas.
5. There are least recovery times with minor scar removal procedures. The affected scar tissue is eliminated through the help of a qualified surgeon.
Cons
1. Surgery may not eradicate a scar. Some portions are tucked away into natural folds of the skin.
2. Some scars require physical therapy after a medical procedure. The therapy may take some time to restore flexibility in the previously affected area.
3. The cost of any scar removal procedure is a significant consideration for people. The price may be beyond their budget.
4. Invasive revisions tend to have longer recovery times for patients. It may extend to over a week after a medical procedure.
5. In rare cases, scar revisions can cause hyper or hypopigmentation. These lead to unevenness in skin tone.
For your medical concerns about scar removal, you can consult a skin specialist before making a decision. Look for board-certified dermatologists who can give professional medical advice and explain the suitable treatment on how to remove your scar.
Skin MD is composed of board-certified dermatologists who are always ready to personally attend to every patient’s particular needs, taking exquisite care in every consultation, treatment, and evaluation. They value a close doctor-patient relationship so they can properly take care of your skin and only recommend treatments that your skin needs.
Treatments Choices for Scar Removal
There are several available treatments on how to remove scar. Such treatments include:
1. Dermabrasion – it removes the top layer of the skin with an electrical machine that gently abrades the skin. This smooths and softens the skin and improves how the scars appear.
2. Laser Resurfacing - this utilizes high-energy light to burn the damaged skin. This can be used to refine hypertrophic scars and reduce wrinkles.
3. Cortisone Injections – the medication is injected directly into the scar. This helps soften and shrink hard scars. Intralesional steroid injections soften keloids and hypertrophic scars.
4. Surgical Scar Revision - removes the whole scar surgically and rejoins the skin. A new scar will develop but this creates a less obvious scar.
5. Cryosurgery – freezing the top skin layers can lessen the size of scars. It can also cause the skin to blister.
6. Punch grafts – these are small skin grafts that replace damaged skin. Scar removal is done by punching a hole in the skin. The scar is then replaced with unscarred skin which is often taken from the back of the earlobe.
7. Topical Creams and Ointments - applying silicone ointment to a scar can make it smaller or prevent it from developing. Your doctor can also recommend using corticosteroid cream or a silicone gel sheet for the affected area.
Skin MD has safe and effective treatments to help you remove any unwanted marks and blemishes. They have Acne Scar Treatment which is a safe and effective microneedling procedure that stimulates controlled collagen production. This helps heal scars from acne, giving you smoother skin. Skin MD also offers Keloid Injection treatment that involves intralesional steroid injection into the keloid. It uses an anti-inflammatory medication that slowly but steadily helps with keloid scar removal.
ALSO READ: Fractional CO2 Laser: 14 Essential Things You Should Know About This Acne Scar Treatment
Scars are the body’s natural way to heal and replace any damaged skin. The skin repairs itself with new tissue. You may consider undergoing a medical procedure if you do not like how your scars appear or if they hinder your movements. There are pros and cons to scar removal via medical procedures. Have your scars examined by a board-certified dermatologist who can give you comprehensive medical advice on how to remove scars. There are several available treatments for scar removal. The skin specialist can recommend the best medical procedure for you.
Skin MD offers Skin Needling Subcision for scar removal treatment. It is designed to address depressed acne and pox scars. It is done through the use of a special hypodermic needle that is inserted through a puncture in the surface of the skin. The edge of the needle is used to break through fibrotic strands that tie the scar to the tissue beneath it. The depression is lifted from connective tissue that develops during normal wound healing. Do you want to get rid of your battle scars and achieve flawless skin? Skin MD can help.