Injuries or wounds are unavoidable and they can cause damage to the skin layers. After an injury, collagen is deposited in the skin as part of the natural healing process. As a result, scars are formed. This usually happens in cases when the second layer of the skin, called the dermis, gets involved in the injury. How deep the damage is, or to what extent it is reversible, depends upon the number of layers involved in the injury. Further, scar formation depends upon a number of conditions like age, sex, heredity, healing conditions, etc.

For some people, scars can be signs of pride, however, most of us want to get rid of them. Scars can always be minimized if the wound gets food care during the healing phase. With the progress of modern dermatology, the remains can completely vanish away. Therefore, the art of how to heal scars has become an easy thing these days.

Scar Trivia: Learn How to Handle Scars

Scars are not just bad for looks; sometimes, they limit motion and sensitivity of your skin. Scars have many types: atrophic scars, hypertrophic scars, keloid scars, and contracture scars. Nowadays, there are many things available that can help with scar healing. Learn how to use them for scar prevention and how they work below:

1. Shea butter or coconut oil:

• How they work: These work by keeping the area moist and hydrated. Dry skin can cause itchiness and delays the healing process. Shea butter or coconut oil penetrates into skin layers, providing concentrated moisture. Another advantage is that the products form a film over the wound that is antibacterial and doesn't let any further infection to enter the area.

• How to use: You must apply lukewarm oil twice a day, massaging very gently on and around the scab. When the scar is present or under formation, even a slight jerk can displace it off its position, rolling the healing back to where it started from. So, ensure that you don't start massaging it, just apply generously and leave it.

2. Silicone gel sheeting:

• How they work: Silicone gel sheeting is similar to Band-Aids, but the former is transparent and sticky. It can cover the wound to film off any infection while keeping the wound in place as the skin under the gel pad isn't able to move or stretch. It's mostly used in the treatment of how to heal scars of hypertrophic nature.

• How to use: Silicone pads are usually applied on the intact skin and the borders of the scar are made to overlap a little. Once applied, the gel is allowed to dry and the dressing requires to be redone every 4-5 hours depending upon the wound.

3. Pressure garments:

• How they work: Pressure garments work by acting as a very tightly fitted second skin over the injured skin. They apply even and firm pressure on the skin. This avoids any lump formation or hardening. Scars are still formed, but their appearance is considerably better than what it would have been without the pressure garment. They are used typically in the treatment of burn scars.

• How to use: Make sure the wound stands the stress and pressure of the garment before opting for this method. Also, the garment has to be well-sterilized to ward off the risk of any infections. Pressure garments must be worn with the help of some experienced medical practitioner or helper. If applied in the wrong way, they can increase the area of the wound or scar.

4. Injections or surgeries

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

It's always advisable to prevent scarring in the first place. However, scars might still occur due to some unavoidable reasons like surgery. In such cases, it's best if the severity of the scarring is reduced to the minimum. How to prevent scarring or how to heal scars after an injury is explained here.

• Keep the wound moist: Keeping the wound moist is an important trick in avoiding scar formation. Moist skin expedites the healing process and avoids any damage due to dryness.

• Massage the wound: One of the important factors that decide how grave the scar will be after healing is the amount of time it takes to heal completely. Gently massaging the wound and the area nearby improves the blood circulation, thus stimulating the healing process.

• Avoid the sun: Scarring happens due to collagen deposition and will be increased when the skin is exposed to the sun. Also, exposure to the sun causes discoloration, dryness, itchiness, and irritation to the already sensitive skin. Therefore, you'd better avoid too much exposure to the sun during the healing phase.

• Do not peel the scab: Peeling the scab is a common cause of permanent scarring. Acne patients are usually aware of this. When the wound heals, a scab is formed on the top layer after some time during the course of healing. This phase is itchy and you feel very tempted to peel off the scab. Avoid doing that at all costs as it can deepen the damage and darken the area permanently.

Take Home Message

So we see that scarring is the most detrimental thing that can happen to your beautiful skin. Avoid scarring by properly and appropriately caring for your injury or wound. Try to follow preventive measures like hydrating to avoid permanent scarring. Don't apply any advertised creams on your wound without the expert advice of your doctor as these can cause more damage than help. How to heal scars is easy but requires technical knowledge.