Scars can appear on the skin for many different reasons, they can be the result of an accident or even derive directly from an operation. The healing process can vary from one person to another, depending on their skin type and the care they have given to the wound, which can heal in one way or another. In those cases in which the damage to the skin is too visible, it can generate an aesthetic problem that affects the self-esteem of the person.

What is a scar?

When a wound occurs for any reason, a new patch of skin grows around it to cover it. What happens is that it is very noticeable that this skin is new and therefore does not have the same color or texture as older skin.

Scars are usually thicker than the rest of the skin and turn pink or even red. It is true that they tend to fade over time and become less noticeable, but they never disappear completely.

Very diverse factors influence the appearance of scars, such as the size and depth of the wound, its location, the healing time, whether there has been any type of infection, the age of the patient and even the hereditary tendency to scar.

Surgery to hide scars

Some scars are so large or so visible that they cause significant cosmetic damage and affect the self-esteem of the person who has them. In these situations, you can go to the operating room to try to solve the problem.

It is important to bear in mind that surgery to cover scars is responsible for hiding them, achieving a much better aesthetic effect, but today there is absolutely no medical or aesthetic treatment that can make scars disappear one hundred percent. That is, it seeks to hide or disguise the scar, but it cannot be completely eliminated.

Remove the anterior scar

If the scar is wide and there is no type of retraction or elevation or keloid, what the surgeon does directly is to open the skin again and close it again so that there is a new healing process and the skin grows better. terms.

When the scars are not so regular, you have to opt for other techniques such as Z-plasty or W-plasty.

Z-plasty

In this case, the procedure consists of changing the direction of the scar, making it longer and more extensive. Although it really involves making the scar bigger, what happens is that the skin is more relaxed, so the mark is much less noticeable.

W-plasty

It is a technique that is used especially to treat scars on the face. It is responsible for converting a long scar into several smaller and consecutive ones, which are easier to hide.

Scar grafts

There are cases in which, when the skin is opened again, it is not long enough to cover the new wound. When this happens, what is done is to resort to a skin graft from another part of the body, or to a flap.

Keloid scars

Keloid scars are among the most noticeable. A scar of this type occurs when the new skin that grows around the original wound is between one and three centimeters larger than the wound, causing the scar to protrude from the wound.

This phenomenon occurs because fibroblasts do not control collagen production well and end up producing more than is necessary to cover the wound. It usually occurs due to genetic causes and they appear more frequently in areas such as the chest and shoulder, although we can also find them frequently in dark skin.

The result of this process is a thick and bulging scar that is often quite unsightly. To correct it, a fine thread is used to reduce the thickness. After two weeks, a treatment with steroids is started to avoid the proliferation of fibroblasts and thus the new scar has a much more normal and less visible thickness.

Platelet Rich Plasma for Scars

Little by little techniques are appearing that allow to improve the state of the scars and hide them without the need to go through the operating room. One of the most advanced treatments is to use platelet-rich plasma.

A sample of plasma is obtained from the patient and growth factors are extracted from it. The plasma is diluted and injected directly into the scar, accelerating the natural regeneration of the skin. This causes the dermis to thicken and partially fill the depression caused by the wound.

Today this technique is used in cutaneous ulcers that are difficult to heal, for the healing process of surgical wounds and even to eliminate the marks left by acne.

Tattoos to cover scars

Another alternative to hide scars is to get a tattoo on damaged skin. A good professional is capable of making designs that make the scars as concealed as possible.

It is a safe alternative, but specialists advise allowing at least six months to pass after the injury occurs for the skin to fully recover. After that time, you can tattoo on the area affected by the scar without any problem.

Scar care

Scars are often more visible because the healing process is not usually well cared for. When the wound is open, it is essential to follow the care indicated by the specialist so that the incision is closed as soon as possible and in good condition. Once the wound is closed, it is convenient to avoid the sun shining in this area so that the scar does not acquire a tone that differentiates it even more from the rest of the skin.

If the scar is in a visible place it is important to use a quality high factor sunscreen daily.