Scar treatments can produce visible, effective, and immediate results. Without treatment, these unwanted marks should heal naturally until they almost entirely disappear, but the process can take months or years. Would you like to speed up the process of fading and minimizing the appearance of scars? We can recommend various cosmetic treatment plans at Vibrant Dermatology & Skinbar MD in Dedham, MA. We can help you see a visible difference in your scar so you can be confident in your skin.
How Effective Are Scar Treatments?
It’s not easy to remove scars naturally, but thanks to cosmetic and medical innovations, you can now choose from several effective treatments that can remove, fade, or minimize them. In our practice, we are proud to deliver various services to help you find the best solution that will bring you closer to your aesthetic goals. Most of these treatments require zero downtime. Meanwhile, more invasive treatments, such as surgical operations, will involve a moderate amount of rest.
If you have decided to undergo a scar removal treatment, we usually recommend you to practice adequate sun protection after all treatments. It’s also a good idea to maintain a good skincare routine and avoid excessive sun exposure or stress. By closely following our recovery directions, you can ensure the effectiveness of the treatment and the best possible outcomes.
Laser Therapy
Laser scar treatment is successful at minimizing the presence of wound scars. This treatment option uses concentrated light energy to remove or exfoliate the skin’s outer surface. It induces the development of new, healthier skin cells to cover damaged skin cells or scar tissues. Laser scar treatment may minimize the following skin imperfections:
- Warts
- Age spots
- Wounds and acne scars
- Keloids
Keep note that while laser therapy offers many cosmetic benefits, it does not completely erase a scar or restore the skin’s appearance before the damage or injury. Laser therapy can minimize the development of an elevated scar following surgery and reduce pain and itching in the scar area.
What Type of Scar Is Best for Laser Treatments?
When you suffer from a skin injury or damage, the body will naturally heal the wound or inflammation. On the affected site, a scab grows to shield the wound from germs during the injury. This scab inevitably falls off by the end of the healing process. Most of the time, the skin beneath a scab is often the same color as the rest of the body. However, a scar may develop after a scab falls off, depending on the injury.
These scars can fade with time or become lighter. When this type of scarring is treated with laser energy, the outer layer of the affected skin surface may be dissolved and eventually removed. The treatment can effectively smooth the skin to enhance its tone and appearance. Laser treatment may also be used to target and decrease the redness of the scar tissue’s blood vessels. It penetrates the skin surface to stimulate new skin cell development.
Treatment Aftercare
You’ll need to protect your skin from the sun after a laser scar treatment. Recovery times vary, but your skin may take as long as ten days to recover. When your skin suffers from prolonged sun exposure, it’s possible for you to grow another scar.
How Many Laser Treatments Will You Need?
Laser scar therapy does not make a scar disappear. Instead, this treatment is designed to make a scar less visible. We can arrange a set of laser treatments to give you long-lasting results and the most progress. You won’t experience downtime with this type of treatment, but you will still need a number of laser treatments to see the desired effects.
Silicone Dressings
Silicone gel sheets are like soft wound covers made up of polymers. They may be attached to a mesh or cross-linked with a cloth. Silicone dressings may be used to treat hypertrophic and keloid scars by enhancing their appearance and preventing them from forming.
Improperly closed surgical wounds can result in the development of hypertrophic scars. It is also true if you’ve suffered from excessive stress, wound infections, and severe burns in the injured area.
How Effective Are Silicone Dressings for Scar Treatment?
Silicone dressings may penetrate deeper layers of the skin to minimize visible skin scars over time. They require special attention while being used, but they can effectively reduce scars gradually in some cases. Silicone dressings also have the added advantage of healing the scar faster than gels.
Silicone strips, on the other hand, are made of an ultra-thin silicon layer. You will mostly need to wear it 24 hours a day. As advised by your healthcare provider, you can position your silicone strips across the scar formation region. These strips are auto-dried, allowing them to dry on the skin within five minutes of application.
Does It Work for Everyone?
Silicone dressings can effectively help reduce redness, discomfort, and scar tissue development as your skin heals. Ideally, the dressing should match your natural skin contours well so that the items are not too noticeable. However, it is essential to remember that the results and experience you may get from silicone dressings can differ for each individual.
Silicone dressings are most appropriate for high scars. They are also useful for avoiding or treating hypertrophic scars and keloid scars. When using silicone dressings, many people have observed the following benefits:
- Reduction in scar-texture
- Improvement in scar color
- Reduction in height or the elevation of the scars
Dermal Fillers
Many scar filler treatments are available for acne scars on the market. They can suppress and enhance the scar’s appearance after you have suffered from inflammation or skin trauma. Depending on your goals, it’s also possible for you to mix and match numerous scar filler treatments. However, you’ll need to set realistic expectations and understand that you can’t possibly return to perfectly normal skin after treatments.
Dermal fillers with hyaluronic injections are most used for indented scars that heal below the normal skin tissue layer. This treatment option involves almost no downtime and delivers quick results. You may get dermal fillers as scar treatment twice a year.
The Most Popular Types of Dermal Fillers for Scars
Juvederm, Radiesse, and Restylane are the most common dermal fillers for acne scars. These injectable fillers can reduce the presence of a particular type of scar and enhance your skin’s texture. The acne scar filler’s efficacy depends on which part of the skin is treated and its condition.
Restylane acne scar fillers have an efficacy of up to nine months. Meanwhile, Radiesse acne scar fillers are expected to minimize the appearance of scars for up to a year. Lastly, Juvederm’s acne scar filler’s efficacy lasts from roughly nine months up to a year.
What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Dermal fillers for scar treatment are often made from hyaluronic acid. This substance is naturally occurring in the human body. You can customize your treatment according to your skin conditions after we have conducted a skin assessment. Most of our patients report satisfactory results after dermal filler treatments for scars.
Topical Medications
Topical agents can also be used to treat the appearance of scars that cause redness and discoloration on the skin. They can also be applied to help avoid more outbreaks and scars. Dermatological agents may help to get rid of dark spots and minor acne scars. Mild acne scars can theoretically be treated with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which are active ingredients in various facial cleansers and gels.
Retinoids
Topical retinoids, also known as retinol, are widely used as a keratolytic agent. This substance is effective in treating dark spots and acne scarring. It works by removing dead skin layers so that healthier, newer skin can resurface. The typical examples of topical retinoids are:
- Tazorac
- Differin
- Tretinoin
Keep note that these substances can negatively affect pregnancy and are thus not recommended for pregnant, breastfeeding, and women trying to conceive.
Tretinoin
Adapalene and benzoyl peroxide are commonly used to treat blemishes and acne scars. For the best results, you should avoid further skin damage when treating acne scars. Many topical drugs, such as topical antibiotics, can minimize breakouts well. As you experience fewer acne breakouts, it will be less likely for you to develop new acne marks.
If you have sensitive skin, it’s essential that you take special care when using topical medications. The wrong dosage and use of these items can cause dry, unhealthy skin. If we prescribe these for your benefit, we’ll also suggest that you use oil-free moisturizers to prevent skin dryness.
Surgical Treatments
Plastic surgeons are also experts when it comes to the treatment of scars. By using modern techniques and reconstructive treatments, it’s now possible for you to enhance or minimize the appearance of scars. Surgery can be used to remove excess scar tissue, repair the underlying skin and other soft tissues, and reduce their development after an operation.
Scar Revision
Scar revision operations can effectively reduce the presence of a scar and help the skin blend with it. When a surgical incision heals, stitches or sutures may alter the appearance of a wound scar. Wounds forming after an injury can cure unevenly, causing the formation of elevated and bulging scar tissue.
Scar Removal
Keloids that far exceed the original injury margins may be removed through surgical scar removal. In this way, we can rebuild the surrounding skin and tissues while restoring the underlying structure as much as possible. We can also remove a sizable hypertrophic scar, a thickened, broad, often raised scar. We may also repair the incision with special cosmetic treatments during the operation, contributing to a smaller, less visible scar.
For wounds covering large areas of skin, like burn scars, for example, you may choose to have a reconstructive surgical treatment, such as skin expansion. In the skin expansion, we first insert a tiny ball under the skin next to the scar. We then use the extended skin to replace the damaged or burned skin while conducting surgery. The fresh skin naturally heals, and you’ll get to enjoy the appearance of a more natural skin texture and even tone.
Effectively Eliminate Unsightly Scars
While the development of scars is usually normal and inevitable, many people still find them inconvenient and bothersome. Do you prefer to remove them entirely or at least minimize their appearance? Contact Vibrant Dermatology and Skinbar MD in Dedham, MA today to explore the possible treatment options for your scar. Scars are a natural part of healing, but it doesn’t mean that you must live with scar tissue that brings nothing but frustration or discomfort.
