Scars

Scars are a natural part of the skin’s healing process. Scars appear as the wound heals and the skin recovers. The more damaged the skin is, the longer it takes to heal and the greater the chance of a visible scar. Scars can not only be unattractive, they can also be painful, itchy and discoloration are often mentioned complaints.

Origin

Scars can be caused by accidents, operations and even illnesses. They are a natural part of the skin’s healing process. Although scars may look alike to many of us, they are not all the same. We can distinguish different types:

• Common scars: These scars lie flat on the skin and can be caused, for example, by surgery or by an accident. The colour of the scar can vary from white to dark purple. In addition, the scar can feel stiff and therefore sometimes restricts movement.
• Atrophic scars: These scars have a very thin layer of scar tissue. The scars may be sunken into the skin or have a ‘cigarette paper’ aspect. However, these scars are seen as remnants of skin damage after skin diseases involving inflammation such as acne or chickenpox. In addition, these scars can also be caused by surgery or after X-ray irradiation.
• Hypertrophic scars: These are thick and can be recognized by their protrusion above the skin. They do not become less noticeable of smoother by themselves over time. They can be red, painful and itchy.

Treatment

Ordinary, atrophic and acne scars can be treated at Solution Clinic with the fractional laser therapy. The laser makes tiny holes in the scar tissue and spreads heat under the epidermis. This heat activates elastin and collagen. The skin is renewed and this ensures that the atrophic scars are reduced and flattened. The colour normalises and the size of the scar can be reduced. More information about the treatment laser therapy can be found at Scars.