Scar Tissue

When we're born, our skin is a seamless organ.  Any burn, injury or other trauma to it can cause the formation of scar tissue, which all of us will most likely experience to varying degrees at least once in our lives.  Scarring really is a natural part of the healing process after injury.  Over the years, technology has been developed and products designed to treat all sorts of scars.  A number of factors can determine how you scar - including age, ethnicity and gender.

The Treatment

Some scars will eventually fade by themselves.  For those that don't, there are various treatments and products to help banish them.  Until recently, physicians had limited options available to address atrophic (traumatic injury to skin tissue) and hypertrophic (following surgical procedures) scars.

Traditionally, if you skin was darker than the typical Caucasian pigment, you should avoid laser treatments, as they could be harmful.  The reason?  Laser picks up on pigment, thus the darker the skin's pigment, the stronger the energy of the laser will become.  This is why laser can be dangerous on black clients or clients with a very deep tan.

So does that rule out laser for scarred skin that is darker?  Not necessarily, I'm told, thanks to a new technology: non-ablative fractional laser therapy.  Ablative laser therapy typically removes the entire layer of the skin, whereas this new technology 'produces microscopic columns of destruction through the skin layer, leaving adjacent columns of skin that are not affected.  This allows these unaffected skin columns to act as healing reservoirs and allows the formation of new collagen and elastin. 

The Result

Over a course of treatments with minimal side effects and little to no downtime, non-ablative fractional laser therapy, which can be tailored to an individual's skin type and the nature of the scar, produces significant improvement in the appearance of scarring.  It can treat scars no matter what you skin tone and regardless of how old the scar is.

Home Remedy

Alternatively...Mama Mio has a wonderful product called Mama Mio See-No-Scar Solution.  It tackles serious scars such as C-section, appendix or cosmetic-surgery scars.  The two main ingredients are dimethicone and vitamin E, which together form a shield to protect scars and encourage healing from within.  I also love the ever-trusted Bio-Oil, which combats very mild scarring.

Last tip:  Before embarking on any scar treatment, make sure that the scar has been examined by a medical doctor.  Arm yourself with as much information as possible before making a decision on a particular treatment.

xoxo,
Angelique