Category Archives: Skin Anomalies

Scar Treatment and Removal Tips

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Scars are unwanted things that can be a result of surgical procedures, burns, injuries and the removal of moles and acne. Scars develop due to any pull or tension that lasts for too long. Thankfully, there are a variety of methods to help reduce and remove scars.
Cosmetic surgery procedures can remove scars. There are a variety of methods and treatments that can be used to treat and remove scars including:

• A procedure called dermabrasion can lighten scars. An instrument called a wire brush is used to remove the upper layer of skin and, in turn, makes the scar light in appearance.

• Natural remedies used for dealing with scars include the use of lemon, aloe vera gel and onions. These items are rubbed on the scars and left on there for some time. Natural products like lemon, aloe vera and onion possess anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce skin irritation. They are known to reduce scars and help new skin cells to develop. Natural remedy methods take more time to show their results.

• Silicone gel sheeting is known to reduce scars. It is applied to the affected area and should be used for 3 or 4 months to get rid of scars.

• Steroids are also known to lighten scars. Steroids are injected on the skin that has the scar and converts the raised part of the scar into a flattened one. This procedure takes longer than others to get rid of any scars.

• Laser procedures can be used to remove the upper skin that is affected by scars by making the scar lighter. The laser is also used to activate collagen that helps the new cells to generate and cover the scar.

• Concealers can be used to cover the scar temporarily. In this method, a concealer that matches the skin color is used to cover the scar. It will make the scar invisible for some time.

• Creams can be applied to the scars. If the scar is not very deep, it can lighten up in 3 or 4 months.

• Vitamin E is helpful in dealing with scars by regenerating the skin and redeveloping the treated area. Vitamin E supplements as well as creams and lotions that contain Vitamin E are available at almost any grocery store or drug store. After applying the lotion to the scar, the skin regeneration starts and the scar will disappear within some months depending on the deepness of the scar.

• Dermatologists can apply chemicals on the skin that peel the scar away and allow the new skin to develop. They lighten up the scar and it eventually disappears. Chemical peeling is the name of this method and the chemical used for peeling of the skin is light acid.

• Scrubbing is also a method for treating scars. Exfoliation with a scrub needs to be regularly performed on the scarred area. The scrub must contain alpha hydroxyl acid to help make the scar disappear. The scrubs should be used as directed by a physician after a careful examination of the scar and skin type.

Scars can be lightened, or even removed, by following the steps mentioned above. Sometimes it takes a good amount of time to diminish deep scars depending on the deepness of the scar and the regeneration ability of the skin. A patient should consult with a dermatologist before starting any scar treatments.

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.

Information About Moles

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Moles, which are known as benign skin lesions, appear when the cells, known as melanocytes, grow in clusters. The cell melanocyte gives the skin the pigment for its natural color. When these cells are not spread throughout the skin they form into moles. Moles usually tend to be brown or black in color and can appear anywhere on one’s skin. Most individuals may have up to 40 moles by the age of 30. Mole on face

Congenital nevi is a type of mole that appears at birth and can become a cancerous mole. Dysplastic nevi is a type of mole that has an irregular shape and is larger than the size of a pencil eraser. Moles which stay the same throughout your life should cause no concern. However, if you have any mole which becomes itchy, painful or appears after the age of 30, it is recommended for you to see a dermatologist who can better evaluate the mole to make sure it is not cancerous.

Dermatologists may need to do a biopsy to make sure that the mole is not cancerous. The dermatologist can later remove the mole by simply cutting it off. Those who would like to remove a mole for cosmetic reasons may also do so, after speaking to their dermatologist.

The Nature of Scars

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Scars are the result of our natural biological process of wound healing. This repairing takes place in the skin and in other body tissues. The external scars of the skin most often comes to mind even though injured internal parts of the body can heal with scar tissue. Often a doctor can diagnose a condition based on some internal scarring of an organ such as the liver, lungs or kidneys.

Regenrative Animals do not scar

What Are Scars?

Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replaces normal skin or organ tissue after injury. This is why it is said that scarring is a normal part of the healing process. Every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or surgery) has some degree of scarring. There are some exceptions to this in the animal world. These animals undergo regeneration, which do not form scars and the tissue will grow back exactly as before. Some examples are:

• Lizards who lose all or part of their tails can grow new ones. Most
lizards can regrow a tail within nine months.

• Planarians are flat worms. If cut into pieces, each piece can grow
into a new worm.

• Sea cucumbers have bodies that can grow to be three feet long. If
cut into pieces, each one can become a new sea cucumber.

• Sharks continually replace lost teeth. They can grow as many as
24,000 teeth in a lifetime.

• Spiders can regrow missing legs or parts of legs.

• Sponges can be divided. In that case, the cells of the sponge will
regrow and combine exactly as before.

• Starfish that lose arms can grow new ones; sometimes an entire
animal can grow from a single lost arm.

As mammals, humans just aren’t that fortunate. Scars are part of our existence for better or worse.

Variant Formation of Scars

• Scar tissue is the same protein (collagen) as the tissue that it
replaces, but the fiber composition of the protein is different;
instead of a random basket weave formation of the collagen fibers
found in normal tissue
• Scar tissue is fibrosis and the collagen cross-links forms a
pronounced alignment in a single direction.

Scar Tissue has inferior functionality

• Scars in the skin are less resistant to ultraviolet radiation
• Sweat glands and hair follicles do not grow back within scar tissue
• A heart attack causes scar formation in the heart muscle, which
leads to loss of muscular power and possibly heart failure.
• Bones can be an exception they can heal without any structural or
functional deterioration.

Evolution of Scars – Part 2

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Why Do We Have Scars?

“Human wound healing appears to have been optimized for quick healing in dirty conditions,” Mark W. J. Ferguson, Ph.D., University of Manchester.

Part II
Before and After Facial Scar Revision of Young Woman
Anthropologists and science have yet to explain why humans develop larger and thicker scars than other animals. Our response to scars reaches back through the eons of human evolution. A physically weaker structure than most mammals; humans live longer than any other mammal it perhaps is our species wound healing that allows us to thrive. When we’re injured; cut or burned, the immune system is immediately activated to close the wound and heal it.

Surgeon N. Scott Adzick, M.D., researches and studies scarring at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at the Children’s Institute for Surgical Science in Philadelphia, he notes:

“If you’re a caveman or cave-woman running around, and you get bitten by a saber-toothed tiger, it makes sense to patch that wound together as quickly as possible in order to survive, as opposed to devoting the body’s energy and resources to healing perfectly”

The result is that our bodies’ rapid immune response to inflammation leads to the larger and thicker scabbing and scarring. Some social anthropologists theorize that scars served as sexual attractors. Heavily scarred early men would be more attractive because it indicated there bravery and strength in survival.

No matter the theory or culture scars are part of human life; if you know someone who is experiencing anxiety from scars. Today’s cosmetic medicine may have the answers.

Prevention and Treating Keloid Scars

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Severe Keloid Formation

According to American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, a keloid is scar tissue protruding from the skin at the site of an injury. It is caused by fibroblasts (connective tissues) being overactive in the healing process and producing extra tissue. Some people are genetically prone to keloid formation and people with dark skin types are often more at risk, notes the NHS website. For these people, skin damage as small as a pimple or piercing can cause keloid formation.

Step 1
Apply steroid-impregnated tape to the injury site. If you are at risk of developing keloids, preempt their development by applying a dressing doused in a natural steroid like cortisone to the wound for 12 hours a day, notes the NHS website. Alternatively, AOCD notes, use a pressure dressing pad or tape containing silicone gel and where for 24 a day. This also can stop the development of keloids.
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Step 2
Schedule an appointment with your dermatologist to discuss laser treatment for the keloid scar. A heated laser can help reduce skin redness and improve texture of the skin, according to AOCD, but it will not help flatten out the keloid in any way.
Step 3
Consult your dermatologist about a method called cryosurgery to help reduce the keloid. This involves freezing the scar with liquid nitrogen and subsequently stopping the swelling. It can be applied via cotton ball and sprayer. It is good for use on new and small keloids as it can prevent them growing further, notes AOCD. As Acne.org notes, the liquid nitrogen can also cause the scar tissue to die completely, allowing for removal.
Step 4
Get cortisone injection treatment for your keloid scars. This natural steroid is a corticosteroid produced in the adrenal glands of the body and is said to help reduce swelling and inflammation, notes Acne.org. AOCD advises to inject the cortisone directly into the keloid once a month. A noticeable flattening of the scar may begin to occur within three to six months.
Step 5
Attempt to remove the keloid via surgery. In the most extreme cases, the keloid can be sloughed off, then the site exposed to electron beam and orthovoltage radiations to prevent any regrowth. AOCD states that exposing the wound to X-rays has stopped regrowth in 85 percent of cases.

Moles and Changes in Skin Should be Monitored

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Mole removal in eyebrow results in modest scarring.
Mole removal in eyebrow results in modest scarring.

Skin Moles or Beauty Marks

A common skin malady is moles. Sometimes they are referred to as beauty marks. Moles cross all ethnicities. They are raised spots or nodules of skin that are usually darker than the surrounding skin. People with fair skin are more susceptible to having moles.

Moles are typically benign but dermatologists recommend strongly that they should be monitored as changes can be indicative of some pathology such as certain types of skin cancer. When monitoring a mole one should look to observe changes in any of the following: size, shape, color and formation.

This is important because melanoma one of the possible forms of cancers can be fatal. This type of self assessment in some instances are preventative or provide early detection which can be life saving. Melanoma when diagnosed early is often curable.

People with moles, family history should check there skin once a month for changes according to some dermatologist. Even if you are not known to be at higher risk for melanoma or other forms of skin cancer observing and monitoring changes in ones skin should be followed up with appropriate medical evaluation. Moles in children are not unusual and they may grow or change color as a child grows. This is not usually an indication of skin cancer. Some may even disappear in adolescence.

Higher Risk Factors:
• People with a high number of moles with some larger than 1.5 mm are at an increased risk of melanoma.
• People with fair skin are more likely to have many moles and they are more sensitive to sun exposure.
• Regular mole checks are necessary on people with these risk factors.

The palms of the hands and soles of the feet do not grow moles; they can appear anywhere else on the body. In areas frequently exposed to sun they can appear in clusters. Moles that demonstrate no signs of pathology are usually not harmful or medically significant. Still, for cosmetic purposes some people want to have them removed. This can be done by a qualified medical doctor such as a dermatologist. Various methods can be used to remove a mole. The best skin doctors opt for a method that is the least invasive if possible. Cosmetic removal choice is most often done to minimize the scarring particularly in high visibility areas like the face.