Scar
Correction

The Scientific Stuff

OK lets get the scientific stuff out of the way first.

Unfortunately, there are not many of us who don't have a scar somewhere on our body. These can be traumatic, surgical, infective or inflammatory in their origins. There are many cosmetic methods for treating scars depending on the type of scar.

The following are common types of scars:

Simple pale surgical scars
Depressed/sunken scars
Raised hypertophic and keloid scars
Multiple pit scars from acne

THE GOOD STUFF

All scars can be treated with cosmetic treatment and this can be very effective in many situations. Treatments will vary according to the type of scar.

Simple pale surgical scars

It is commonly the paler discolouration of these scars that make them noticeable. The treatments available include skin needling and laser genesis but the most effective treatment is often to camouflage the scar with cosmetic tattooing, a permanent re-pigmentation of the scar.

Depressed/sunken scars

These are commonly a result of severe acne and surgical procedures. They need collagen stimulation underneath the scar to lift the skin. This can be achieved by skin needling, laser genesis and dermal fillers for small areas. For larger areas skin needling, laser genesis, collagen stimulants, PRP injections and skin resurfacing may be required.

Raised hypertrophic and keloid scars

These are commonly a result of severe acne, surgical procedures and burns. Keloid scarring is a type of scarring associated to darker skin types and tends to run in families. It produces lumpy, irritated raised scars and results from inflammatory wounds. Hypertrophic scarring a simple raised lumpy scar resulting from trauma. The difficulty with treating these scars is that they originally occur from trauma and inflammation to the skin, so treatments that are 'traumatic' may actually aggravate the scar. The most successful treatment for hypertrophic scarring is laser genesis occasionally combined with cortisone injections and non-ablative shaving of the scar tissue. Keloid scarring is a little more difficult to treat. The most effective treatment for keloid scarring is a series of combination treatments involving the injection of cortisone, an agent called 5 Fluorouracil and laser genesis. The frequency of treatment varies from 2-4 weekly and the number of treatments required can be around 10-12.

Multiple pit scars from acne

These can be an isolated few or multiple covering a large area. They are best treated by Microdermabrasion, facial peels, skin needling or laser genesis.