The Best At-home And In-office Treatments For Fading Scars

Scars are an inevitable part of living. The longer we live, the more of them we accumulate. While you may not think much about most of your scars, there are those you can’t ignore, especially when they are conspicuously located and are getting in the way of your best looks and confidence. 

Some scars fade over time, while others remain visible for a person’s lifetime. If you can’t wait for a scar to fade naturally, consider the various tried and tested methods of scar treatment that can help conceal, minimize, or revise scars highlighted in this article. Speaking to an experienced skin specialist, like Texas plastic surgeon Dr. Olivier Deigni, can also offer a wealth of information and insights to those unfamiliar with treatment options.

Types of Scars

Different scars require different approaches to correcting. So, the best place to start is to understand the different types of scars, which include acne, hypertrophic, flat, keloid, atrophic, and stretch marks. Acne scars result from acne and affect approximately 20 percent of people with acne. Hypertrophic scars are raised scars over healed wounds. They usually do not extend beyond the length and breadth of the wound. Flat scars are scars that are neither raised nor depressed and tend to fade pretty fast and assume the normal color and texture of the surrounding skin. Keloids are thick raised scars spreading beyond the length and breadth of the original injury. Atrophic scars appear as indents or depressions on the skin and result from some types of acne, while stretch marks appear as lines and result from the skin stretching beyond its elastic limit.

Concealing Scars

The easiest approach to eliminating scars is by concealing them. It’s also the quickest and the cheapest in the short term but not a permanent solution for the long run. Concealing involves using makeup, and understanding color theory helps a lot.

For example, if a scar is too red, you could consider using a green color-correcting shade. Scars with darker shades tend to show through makeup foundation, so you may consider using a pink or orange color correction shade underneath to offset it. If you do not know how to proceed, consider engaging a makeup artist for help.

Reducing the Size of Scars

To minimize the size of a scar, start with proper wound care by following your doctor’s recommended treatment. Once the wound closes up and leaves a scar, you can start treatment to improve its appearance. Start with over-the-counter scar creams and gels, but you may want to consult your dermatologist first. 

If the scar is overly red, you may consider energy-based treatments such as pulse dye lasers, which help reduce redness and the thickness of a scar. Soft tissue filler injections can help improve the indents for atrophic scars, but their major drawback is that their results are temporal, and you may have to keep repeating the procedure.

Revision Treatments

Older scars can be stubborn and need more than minimizing or concealing; this is where revision comes in. Revision involves making some alterations to the scar through plastic surgery, laser treatment, microneedling, chemical peel, etc. Plastic surgery for scar removal involves removing the old scar surgically and controlling healing so that it results in minimal scar and later followed by scar-minimizing procedures to bring it to the least fade possible. 

Other procedures such as laser treatment, micro-needling, and chemical peels aim to stimulate collagen production, which fades a scar. When seeking scar treatment, it is important to have realistic expectations because the outcomes may not be as expected, or you may not get there as soon as you hoped. However, finding the best service provider can make a huge difference. 

Conclusion

Scarring can occur because of a wide range of reasons, but the discomfort and insecurities they come with make them all too real. Careful consideration of the various solutions available today, whether it involves concealing them or having them treated, is a must to make an informed decision that allows you to feel comfortable in your own skin.