If spring is a good time to sow seeds and autumn is a good time to harvest, then winter is a good time to remove scars.
Sweating less, not afraid of wound infection;
Weak ultraviolet rays, no need to worry about blackening;
Wear more and not be afraid of secondary injury;
When it comes to scar removal, many people first think of "applying scar cream", as if no matter what kind of scar, as long as it is wiped, it can be restored.
In fact, not!
Scars are an inevitable product of the repair process after skin injuries [1].
After the skin is injured, the tissue repair mechanism is activated according to the injury to allow the wound to heal, which may form scars.
The deeper the injury, the greater the scope, and the more obvious the scar will be.
The whole process is very complicated, scar cream is difficult to intervene; if the scar has grown, it is even thicker, and it is almost impossible to remove the scar cream.
So what exactly is the effective method?
Don't worry, let's see what kind of scars you have, because different types of scars, the treatment method is also different.
Acne pits – dented scars
The most common pit scar is the acne pit, which is easy to leave after the acne, chicken pox, and the potion to remove the mole.
For loose, larger pits, the treatment principle is: "fill in the level".
For example, the use of hyaluronic acid, autologous fat, etc. for filling treatment.
The advantages of hyaluronic acid are that it is less traumatic, faster to recover, and faster to improve, but it does not come from the body, so it needs to be supplemented regularly.
The advantage of autologous fat is that it lasts longer, and after filling, it also improves the local skin color and skin texture, but because it is a surgical treatment, the recovery period is longer [2].
(Source: Reference 2)
So what if the acne pit is full of faces?
Don't worry, you can try microneedles or needle roller treatments, such as golden microneedles.
They mainly use microneedles/roller needles to roll back and forth on the surface of the skin, opening up a large number of micro-channels that penetrate the dermis, stimulating the skin's self-repair mechanism and promoting skin metabolism.
Sometimes ingredients that promote repair, depigmentation, etc., or with laser treatment, can be introduced to make the potholes smoother and smoother [3].
(Source: Reference 3)
Scars left by surgery – hypertrophic scars
Anyone who has given birth to a child may know that after a caesarean section, it is easy to leave a scar on the stomach: protruding from the skin, hard to the touch, and itchy from time to time.
This is the proliferative scar.
For hypertrophic scars, the treatment principle is: "leveling".
"Leveling" requires two steps:
Step 1:
When the early scar is still very hard, it is necessary to first hit the "scar softening injection", mainly glucocorticoids, chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, etc., to make the scar flat, soft, and can also reduce itching [4].
Step 2:
After the scar becomes flat and soft, you can do photoelectric therapy.
Different lasers have different effects, and the specific use of which one needs to be decided by the doctor after comprehensive judgment.
The commonly used laser is a bit of a laser, similar to jade polishing, making the uneven surface scars smooth and flat;
There are also dye lasers, which are mainly de-reddish, suitable for scars with a very red surface color, especially those with obvious red blood [5].
Skin after treatment with fractional lasers
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Scars on the joints – keloids
The skin in the back of the chest, joints, etc. is often stretched and contracted.
After the fall, even if only a small acne is scratched, the wound is easy to grow keloids, itchy and painful.
Keloids are more troublesome, and the treatment principle is: "joint leveling".
Early playing "scar softening needles" made the keloid flatten and soften;
Then do surgical excision;
Laser treatment was further used to further improve appearance, and low-dose radiotherapy to inhibit scarring [6].
(Source: Reference 6)
Seeing this, you may think that scar removal is too troublesome, but many people do not know that scar removal has another plus, that is, "early intervention, better effect."
Early scars, like children, are still in the plastic stage, and we can take proper care of them to make them heal as well as possible; after healing, timely treatment can make it lighter in color, or make it flat and soft.
But old scars are like adults, and it is difficult to change its "three views", and the treatment effect is not as good as early intervention.
So, if the sisters have been accidentally injured and scarred recently, the correct treatment will save a lot of money and time!
Reviewer
| Deputy Chief Physician of Laser Beauty Center, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
bibliography
[1] Daniel A Potter,et al. Scarring and wound healing. British Journal of Hospital Medicine.2019;80(11):C166-C171.
[2] Norbert Pallua,et al. Microfat and Lipoconcentrate for the Treatment of Facial Scars. Clin Plastic Surg.2019;47:139–145.
[3] Neil S. Sadick,et al. Laser treatment for facial acne scars: A review. JOURNAL OF COSMETIC AND LASER THERAPY.2018;20(7-8):424–435.
[4] Butt, Muhammad Qasim,et al. KELOIDS AND HYPERTROPHIC SCARS; COMPARISON OF INTRALEISIONAL INJECTION OF TRIAMCINOLONE ALONE AND TRIAMCINOLONE MIXED WITH 5 FLOUROURACIL IN TREATMENT OF KELOIDS AND HYPERTROPHIC SCARS. Professional Medical Journal.2017;24(6):812-817.
[5] Oosterhoff Thijs C.H,et al. Laser treatment of specific scar characteristics in hypertrophic scars and keloid – a systematic review. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.2021;74(1):48-64.
[6] Young In Lee,et al. Combined Therapeutic Strategies for Keloid Treatment. Dermatol Surg.2019;45:802–810.
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