What is a scar?

A scar is the body's natural way of healing and replacing lost or damaged skin. A scar is usually composed of fibrous tissue. Scars may be formed for many different reasons, including as a result of infections, surgery, injuries, or inflammation of tissue.

Scars may appear anywhere on the body, and the composition of a scar may vary. A scar may appear flat, lumpy, sunken, or colored. It may be painful or itchy. The final look of a scar depends on many factors, including the skin type and location on the body, the direction of the wound, the type of injury, age of the person with the scar, and his or her nutritional status.

There are a few different classifications of scars. These include:
1. Keloid Scars
2. Hypertrophic Scars
3. Box Car Scars (acne scars)
4. Ice pick scars (also common after acne)
5. Stretch marks

What are the signs of a scar?

When a scar first develops on lighter skin, it’s usually pink or red. Over time, the pinkish color fades, and the scar becomes slightly darker or lighter than the color of the skin. In people with dark skin, scars often appear as dark spots. Sometimes scars itch, and they may be painful or tender.

A scar’s appearance depends on several factors, including:

+ Injury or event that caused the scar, such as surgery, a burn or severe acne.
+ Size, severity and location of the wound.
+ Treatment you received for the wound, such as stitches or bandages.
+ Your age, genes, ethnicity and overall health.

We are able to treat and minimise scars, so that they are almost imperceptible.

What are treatments for scars?

Treating a scar will be different for each scar type, so the best place to start is a consultation. We have a number of treatment options, all of which are aimed at disrupting the scar so that smoother, flatter skin forms.

Treatment options include:
1. Venus Viva Treatment
2. Skin Needling
3. Dermafrac treatment
4. Subcision and dermal filler placement. This is done by Dr Giulia D'Anna.

Assessment will be required before we will treat you to ensure that we can match the correct treatment with your scar and treatment requirements. In most cases, several treatments will be required to minimise the scar, as scars form deep in the skin layers. So we need to treat the skin carefully to slowly encourage more organised collagen formation in the skin.

Can I prevent a scar?

Aside from general skin health, sometimes we have a skin condition that worries us. If you have a scar, acne, broken Although you can’t always prevent injuries that cause scars, you can reduce the risk of a scar forming after an injury. If a scar does develop, careful care can make the scar less noticeable.

To reduce the risk of scarring, you should:
1. If you have a wound that may leave a scar, visit your provider for an examination. Be sure to follow your provider’s instructions when caring for stitches. Depending on the type and location of the wound you may need oral or topical antibiotics to prevent infection.
2. Clean the wound: Wash the area with soap and water. Clean out any dirt or dried blood, and apply a bandage over the wound to keep germs out. Be sure to change the bandage often as the wound heals.
3. Keep the wound moist: Applying petroleum jelly or moist burn pads will keep the wound from becoming too dry and developing a scab. Scabs can make scarring worse.
4. Protect it from the sun: Cover the scar or use sunscreen to protect it. Sun exposure can make a scar darker.