No one wants a scar, and it can be tempting to pick at a wound, neglect its care, or cover it up with makeup too soon. However, you may be doing something that can prevent your scar from healing properly or fading within a reasonable amount of time. Take the time to familiarize yourself with how a scar heals and what you should NOT do when treating a wound and scar.
First off, a recap: scarring is part of the skin’s natural healing process, occurring in three steps: inflammation, tissue formation, and remodeling. Fibroblasts populate the wound and produce collagen, whose job it is to fill and close the wound in a rather disorganized manner.
Because most people are looking to minimize their scars, especially when they’re located in a visible area, you should heed these tips for caring for your wounds and scars:
Stay Out of the Sun
Or, at least keep your scar covered up. Keeping your scar away from the sun as it forms helps decrease the likelihood of red or brown discolorations. If you do have to go outside for a prolonged period of time, cover the scar with SPF 30 or higher and reapply frequently to prevent dark scarring. It’s best to wear clothing over it, if you can.
Don’t Pick at Scabs
Your wound may be itchy as it heals, but if you remove a scab at this critical juncture, you are doing a lot of damage – mainly in slowing down the healing process and increasing the risk of hyperpigmentation forming in the scar.
Your body starts healing a wound immediately after it happens, whereby white blood cells start attacking infection-causing bacteria, and red blood cells, fibrin, and platelets start making a clot to cover up the wound. The result is a scab. Take off that protective layer and you are creating a larger wound area and larger scar.
Don’t Let the Affected Area Dry Out
It’s important to keep the wound moist. Apply petroleum jelly, antibiotic cream or specially formulated scar gel, then cover it with a non-stick bandage to hasten the healing process. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide to clean it up too often, as this causes continual irritation and slows the healing process. In turn, this increases scarring.
Keep in Mind OTC Creams Can Work, But Not All Are Created Equal
There are many OTC options to try when minimizing the appearance of a scar. For example, aloe vera gel is often used to heal wounds and burns, as well as to reduce pain and inflammation. However, what you really need is a product that’s been proven to reduce scarring on the skin. Don’t waste your time with the others – try Scarfade right off because it is designed to slow the production of collagen and reduce the appearance of scars. You can use it on any type of wound, such as sports and auto injuries, cuts, burns, and surgical incisions. Order some now!