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Scar Basics

Scars consist of newly produced collagen fibers that seal any opening in the dermis, which is why scars are also referred to as adhesions. The appearance of scars depend on how they were formed, the age of the person, nutrition, genetics and level of infection.

Due to their rapid production, scars are made differently than healthy skin. Scars provide less protection and are less resistant to UV rays; they also are typically missing hair follicles and sweat glands if they were damaged in the injury. The skin is less elastic and more restrictive than healthy skin. Itchiness of scars is also quite common.

Types of Scars

An injury to the skin causes the body to respond by producing collagen, however, it can produce too much or too little. When there is too much, scars that are raised above the normal level of skin. Hypertrophic scars and keloid scars both fall into this category. Hypertrophic scars have a stiffer texture than healthy skin and are typically red, pink or purple in color. They are most commonly found in areas of high skin tension. Keloid scars differ from hypertrophic scars in that they continue to grow outside of the site of injury, often forming tumor-like growths. Keloids form around piercings (cartilage), especially in those not cared for. Both of these raised scars are more common in those with dark skin.

Atrophic scars, depressions in the skin, form when fat or muscle supporting the skin is lost. These can form as result of surgery, chicken pox and acne breakouts. This type of scarring occurs when the skin is forced to stretch quickly. You might be familiar with stretch marks that occur due to rapid weight gain during pregnancy. Lastly, it can be caused when another area of skin is placed under stress. For this reason, the stretch from this type of injury generally occurs close to joints.

Hypertrophic Scar Treatment

Natural and prescription scar removal treatments exist. Home remedies include the topical application of vitamin E, onion extract, cocoa butter and honey. If you want to lighten the scar, try applying lemon juice to the scar tissue.

Advanced treatments for treating hypertrophic scars might involve one or more of the following: prescription topical creams, dermabrasion, laser treatment, surgery and/or collagen or steroid injections. Z-plasty and skin grafting are other ways for hypertrophic scar removal, literally. Z-plasty describes the process that cuts out the scar and places it in a spot that has a similar appearance. Skin grafting covers the scar with a healthy patch of skin from another part of the body.

If you need to treat hypertrophic acne scars, a dermatologist might recommend dermabrasion or a microdermabrasion cream to smooth the surface of the scar. How to get rid of acne scars? Dermatologists can also remove the scar and use small stitches that help the skin heal with smaller, less noticeable scars. These types of treatments work at minimizing the appearance of scars, however, have minimal impact on the skin makeup below in the dermis layer and do little for healing hypertrophic acne scars.