Category Archives: Scars

The Fault in Our Scars AKA Summertime Sadness

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It is finally summertime which means outdoor activities are on the rise. Family vacations are more frequent, kids are taking trips to the pool with friends and bike riding and baseball games are happening on a daily basis. Unfortunately, all of these fun activities come with the increased chance of injuries. During the summertime, people tend to get involved in small accidents that result in cuts, scratches and minor skin injuries which can also lead to scars.

There are a number of steps that you can take to help reduce the potential scarring that result from these small, to medium sized, accidents. According to Dr. Ellen Marmur, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, “The appearance of a scar often depends on how well your wound heals. While scars from surgery or over joints like the knees and elbows are hard to avoid, scars caused by minor cuts and scrapes can become less noticeable by properly treating your wound at home.” Dr. Marmur shared this info in a recent (June 9th) news release from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Some of the tips offered by Dr. Marmur for reducing the appearance of scars include:
• Gently wash the injury site with a mild soap and water to keep germs out and also to remove any debris from the injury.
• Apply petroleum jelly to stop the wound from drying out and then forming a scab. (Wounds that result in a scab take longer to heal and the petroleum jelly will help prevent the scar from getting too large or itchy.)
• Once you’re applied the petroleum jelly to the wound area, be sure and cover the wound with an adhesive bandage. Changing the adhesive bandage on a daily basis will help keep the wound clean while it heals.
• Depending on the size of the wound, you might need to use more than petroleum jelly to clean and care for the wound. Larger scratches and wounds could require hydrogel applied to them if they continue to have persistent redness.

Some summertime scrapes and wounds might be so severe that they require surgery. If this is the case, follow the advice of your doctor on caring for your wound. The initial care, and subsequent advice, from your doctor can help minimize the lasting impact of the scar.

One more piece of advice from Dr. Marmur involves the use of sunscreen on the wound area when you go outside. The sunscreen needs to be SPF 30 or higher to help prevent scarring. According to Dr. Marmur, no scar can be totally eliminated but most do fade over time. She also recommends seeing a board-certified dermatologist because “a dermatologist can answer your questions and talk about ways to make your scar less visible.”

Summertime can be a lot of fun but it’s also a season filled with scrapes and scratches thanks to people having rambunctious fun. The best thing you can do (besides be careful while having fun in the sun) is tend to your wound as quickly as possible. The faster you tend to your fresh wound, the less likely your chances of having a permanent scar as a reminder of the summer of 2015.

Effective Treatment Options for Hypertrophic Scars

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A hypertrophic scar is, quite simply, a scar caused by surgery or injury. The scar tends to be raised and thick and colored red. It’s one of the few scars that can actually form spontaneously thanks to an injury. The scars emerge as a response from your body due to surgery, burns or some other form of trauma. The fact the scar is highly visible in the area of the body surrounding an injury can be devastating to the person who suffered the trauma. The amount of scarring and skin disfigurement can have a profound effect on the self-image of a person.

The reason a hypertrophic scar grows is due to some part of the healing process going awry. The glitches in the healing process tend to cause a glut of collagen threads in the injured area that can also result in an itchy feeling around the scarred area.

While hypertrophic scars have been known to heal on their own, there are some treatment options available for patients. The choices range from a needling treatment that can be performed at home to going to your doctor’s office for collagen and steroid injections. In some extreme situations, doctors are willing to perform radiotherapy. Since the radiotherapy option involves cutting open the scar during the treatment, it is not the most commonly used choice.

While any and all of the above options might be a good fit for you, it’s best to consult with your doctor before deciding on any one treatment. The amount of scarring you have before starting the healing process will have a big impact on the final treatment decision.

Z-plasty for Scar Revison

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Z-plasty is now being considered as a standard practice for scar revision. With doctors’ offices all over the world now using this technique, one would be hard pressed to find a different technique when it comes to camouflaging scars. This technique has been around for a century and yet, many people fail to realize how it works.

A Z-plasty works like this, at the end lengths of the scar, incision are placed horizontally so that the new incisions and the original wound/incision together form a Z. Once incised, the flaps of the flesh are sutured over and used to cover the wound overall, giving new less tense give to the skin in smaller units, and setting the transposed skin into overlapping “flaps” where their final positions are a three layered triangular fix.

This irregularity of wound closure causes a smaller, united scar that is less noticeable type of scarring that is better camouflaged than the straight line easily hyper-pigmented versions of incisions. This general realignment of the incisions can make for a better visual to surgery wounds.

The only other techniques that are comparable to a Z-plasty would be a W-plasty. A W-plasty, although slightly different, is just a variation of the Z-plasty technique, operating on the same basic principle of relieving overall tension on sutures and skin wounds to allow for a better healing process.

Keloid Scarring

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Scars come in many different varieties. Many patients suffer from Keloid scarring following a surgical procedure. Keloid scars grow at the wound site, beyond the border edges of the wound. They tend to be thick and rounded, and appear in irregular clusters of red (or darker) scar tissue. The scars form when the body overproduces collagen after the wound has healed.

The scars can develop anywhere on the body, and are five to fifteen times more likely to occur in patients with darker skin tones, as well as those with a family history of keloid scarring. They’re also extremely common—approximately 10% of the world’s population (around 700 million people!) suffers from keloid scarring.

Those who are prone to keloid scarring should avoid body piercings and tattoos, and should be fastidious in the care of their skin. Even minor injuries (like insect bites, small cuts, and acne) can lead to keloid scarring, so sufferers should be vigilant in protecting themselves.

Though there isn’t a simple cure for keloid scarring, there are many treatment options available to reduce their appearance. Up until very recently, surgical intervention was considered to be a good option for sufferers of keloid scarring. However, one of the major issues with this method is that the surgical scars could cause more keloids! Patients may want to consider nonsurgical treatments, including Inteferon therepy (a drug intervention that affects the immune system), antihistamines and vitamins, nitrogen mustard applications, Verapamil (an L-type calcium channel blocker), and Retinoic acids (a trace nutrient derived from Vitamin A). Patients should be advised that, even with treatment, keloid scarring tends to reappear (with a 50-70 percent rate of recurrence). External radiotherapy and steroid drugs are both viable options with higher success rates, but can cause side effects, so patients considering these options should consult with their doctor before proceeding.

Chemical Peels

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Chemical peels are a perfect solution for those who would like to remove sunspots, scars caused by acne, and other unsightly blemishes. Facial rejuvenation procedures, like chemical peels, are almost always outpatient procedures; this means that it can be performed in a doctor’s office, rather than a hospital. Additionally, having an outpatient procedure reduces costs (as patients do not have to pay an operating room fee). Lastly, it means that after the peel (which typically takes about an hour) the patient is able to relax and recover in the comfort of his or her own home.

Chemical peels can cause a light burning and stinging sensation, which, on average, only lasts about ten minutes, but varies depending on the intensity of the chemical peel and the sensitivity of the patient’s skin. Recovery time will also depend on the intensity of the peel. Those who need to have a superficial peel, can recover in as little as a few days. However, patients who opt for a deep peel will need approximately three weeks to recover. Since there are many different variations of chemical peels, procedure and recovery lengths will vary.

Doctors have the ability to customize the procedure to the patient’s needs, so this procedure is perfect for almost any person who is unhappy with his or her skin and would like a smoother, more even complexion.

If you feel this procedure is right for you, please visit a dermatologist or plastic surgeon that specializes in skin rejuvenation in order to find the best option for your skin.

Acne Scars: How to Prevent and Cure Them?

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Acne scars can cause damage to one’s skin because of the intense, collagen damaging inflammation to the skin. Acne usually starts to disappear within a few days, but sometimes tends to leave scars. Atrophic, boxcar-shaped, and ice-pick shaped scars are all types of scars that can occur after acne goes away. Atrophic scars are mostly shallow, while ice pick-shaped scars are narrower and deeper.

There are some things that can make acne worse, including exposure to the sun, and picking and squeezing acne. When acne is exposed to direct sunlight, the scar it will leave can become darker and it will slow down the healing process. If you are going to be under direct sunlight it is best to use sunblock with SPF 30 or higher. Picking acne can lead to more inflammation, which will injure the skin adding to the discoloration and causing scarring. Squeezing acne will cause bacteria to go deeper into the skin damaging the collagen.

The best way to prevent acne scars is to have patience, don’t try to pick or squeeze acne, not touching acne you get, will prevent scars. However, if you already have acne scars, it can be treated by using cortisone in order to reduce the inflammation. For deeper acne scars, laser and filler treatments might be the best option. In order to find out what to do to reduce the appearance of acne scars, it is recommended to visit a dermatologist.

FUE vs Strip Study

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Doctor Parsa Mohebi, founder of US Hair Restoration, is enrolling participants for the FUE vs Strip study at his Southern California hair transplant centers. The purpose of the study is to be able to make viable comparisons between the benefits of the follicular unit extraction (FUE) and strip method (FUT) of hair transplantation. The study will help identify the final hair quality, survival rate, and the comparison of the overall success of the two methods of hair transplantation.

The FUE vs Strip study will be done around the world, including Los Angeles, Colorado, New York, Brazil, and India, in order to increase the sample size and provide more accurate results. Participants of the study will first need to meet with the hair transplant surgeon to identify if they are a good candidate for the study. After the procedure, all candidates will be required to go in for a 6 and 12 month follow up visit so that the hair transplant surgeon can evaluate the results. For a limited time, Dr. Parsa Mohebi is providing an incentive to all participants for the study, due to their dedicated time and commitment.

For more information about the study, please call the offices of Dr. Parsa Mohebi at (888) 302-8747.

CO2 Laser Treatment for Atrophic Scarring

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Deep acne marks also known as atrophic scars are characterized by pits or craters in the skin. This type of acne scar can leave the face disfigured and have detrimental effects on one’s self-esteem. Although this type of scarring can be very difficult to heal and improve, CO2 Laser technology is the best method for atrophic skin resurfacing and scar diminishment. It works by sending short, CO2 Laser Treatmentconcentrated beams of light to the area of skin while removing the skin in layers. The new skin that is formed during healing will appear youthful and tighter. This process takes about 2 weeks.

The newest advancement in laser technology is fractionated laser therapy or Focal Acne Scar Treatment known as F.A.S.T. This new method yields similar results to typical laser treatments, but the difference is that this method treats a fraction of the skin, meaning that the energy targets damaged cells, destroying them, while leaving other areas of the skin unharmed. This method delivers fast, lasting results due to the fact that the skin is removed fractionally. The advantages to this method are increased safety, increased comfort, and decreased healing time.

When choosing laser treatment, make sure to speak with your dermatologist about which option is best for you and your condition.

What is Partial Trichophytic Closure?

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Trichophytic closure is a type of scar closure that is used in conjunction to a hair restoration. For many years, trichophytic closure has been used for scalp surgeries allowing hair to grow into the scar, improving the appearance. When hair is introduced into the scalp scar, it helps reduce the contrast of the scar and the hair area. Trichophytic closure can be done on the upper edge, lower edge, and double edge of the scar.

Partial Trichophytic ClosureScar tissue and the transection of the lower portion of hair follicles, on the edge of the scar, are what cause the lack of hair in the scar. Partial trichophytic closure, recently introduced by Dr. Parsa Mohebi, requires the hair transplant surgeon to observe the donor wound edges and calculate the width of the edge that needs to be removed at any area. The surgeon will use magnifying loupes in order to carefully observe the edges of the wound, making sure that there is no transection in the hair follicles.

Partial trichophytic closure assures that hair will grow into the scar from the upper edge in order to minimize the contrast between the scar and the surrounding hair areas. With this method the visibility of the donor scar is minimized drastically if done properly.

What is a Scar?

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Many of us will have the experience of getting scars, but some may wonder what is a scar? Scars occur when the skin starts to heal itself. Once the upper layer of the skin is damaged, a person’s body begins to form collagen fibers to close the wound. Once the wound is completely healed, scars will begin to form. There are many factors that can cause scars to form different shapes and colors.

Pale scarScars start off by appearing red in color, which is when the blood vessels are inflamed and damaged. This part is known as hyper pigmented scars. Once a scar matures, the skin pigment will be lost and the color will change to white, which is known as hypo pigmented. Scars take approximately six to twelve months to completely heal and become white. The size, shape, and depth of the scar are all factors that contribute to how the scar will look after completely healing. In order to prevent darker scarring and infection, it is important to always keep the scar area clean and moist, during the healing process.

Although you can never get rid of scars, there are many treatment options now that can help to camouflage the look of the scar. Some types of treatments are topical creams, surgery, dermabrasion, steroid injections, laser resurfacing, and filler injections. Depending on where your scar is located and the size of the scar, your doctor can recommend you to try one of the treatments.