Facial Scars Types And What Treatments Are Available

The skin is a unified organ protecting other valuable parts of your body. Any injury, burn, or trauma leaves a scar on it. A minimal tear on it gives it a different look.

A small scar isn’t bad if it is in a visible place. However, you may wonder whether there is any treatment for it instead of finding masks to hide it if it’s concealed. The reality is facial scars never fade away completely. But different treatment options can change its appearance and size.

Facial scarring occurs as part of a wound’s natural healing process. Its treatment and appearance depend on different aspects such as wound size and depth, ethnicity, age, and injury location.

Types of Facial Scars

There are different types of facial scars available, including:

• Keloid Scars: keloid scar is a tissue overgrowth that occurs when your facial wound produces too much collagen. With time, the keloid scar grows significantly after the wound heals. Keloid scars appear on the skin surface and can either be red, pink, or darker. They are often painful and itchy.
• Hypertrophic Scars: They are similar to keloid scars due to excessive collagen production during natural wound healing. However, they do not extend beyond the location of the wound. They appear on the skin surface and thickens for over six months before they disappear.
• Contracture scars: A contracture scar forms after healing in case you burn your face. The scar tightens your face skin and may impair your vision ability. Contracture scars can penetrate deep underneath your skin and affect your facial nerves and muscles.
• Sunken Scars: Certain skin concerns like chickenpox and acne are the major causes. They mainly occur due to an injury that leads to underlying fat loss.

Facial scars treatment Options

When wounds heal, they leave behind scars. The scars occur in different forms and are caused by various factors. Since you constantly expose your face to the environment, scars on your face may take time to heal. While you many cover other areas with wounds as it heals, your face is open to different elements throughout the day.

You may not protect your face wound fully as it heals and may find it hard to maintain treatment options like cream and ointment from rubbing off. But the good thing is there are many facial scar treatments to consider if you want to treat your facial scars. They include:

1. Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are a treatment option with a mild acid applied on a single skin layer. It causes the epidermis to exfoliate, roll-off, and expose a new skin layer. There are different types of chemical peel, including:

• Medium peel: effective for discoloration and contains a glycolic acid used in treating aging effects.
• Deep peel: a commonly used peel for treating deep skin scars as it contains phenol.
• Superficial peel: it has a mild effect and is effective for enhancing minor scars discoloration.

According to the American Society for Dermatology Surgery, deep peels are intense and heals after three weeks. The dermatologist bandages your face and administers antivirus medications during the healing period to prevent infections.

A chemical peel is a widely available skin treatment and can treat other skin concerns like wrinkles and age spots and give you younger and smoother skin. However, it has limitations such as:

• Worsening rosacea and psoriasis symptoms
• May leave your skin sensitive to heat, thus leading to scarring and burns
• Not effective on darker skin tone
• Not effective for nursing and pregnant women
• It May be irritating to sensitive skin

2. Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is the most popular and effective procedure to treat your facial scars. A dermatologist conducts the procedure using a wheel or wire brush to exfoliate your face’s top skin layer. Dermabrasion has certain complications, including:

• Darkened skin
• Swelling and redness
• Uneven skin tone
• Infection

Many people who undergo dermabrasion have a fifty percent chance of experiencing scars reduction. However, dermabrasion has limitations, such as being uncomfortable, ineffective for sensitive skins, and people suffering from autoimmune disorders.

3. Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is similar to dermabrasion and chemical peels, as they are used to achieve the same goals of eliminating the top skin layer. During the procedure, a highly-powered laser beam removes the skin. There are two types of laser resurfacing, including carbon dioxide and erbium. While dermatologists consider erbium the safest method on your face, carbon dioxide laser resurfacing is effective for scars treatment.

One takes about three to ten days to heal, unlike other facial scar treatment options. But it has its disadvantages such as:

• It can lead to scarring, infection, and skin discoloration
• Not effective for persons with acne breakouts
• Not appropriate for darker skin tones

4. Plastic Surgery

Another facial scar treatment option is plastic surgery. Unlike other procedures, plastic surgery is an invasive technique where a scalpel removes tissue scars surgically. Depending on the severity of the scar and your goals, a surgeon eliminates the scar to change its appearance.

Plastic surgery is effective and offers better results than other facial treatments. But looking at its limitations, it is highly costly and keeps away most people. If not performed well, it may leave long-term scarring or cause infections.

5. Home Remedies

Most people consider facial scar home remedies to be less invasive and affordable. Most of these facial scar remedies are available in your medicine cabinet. They include:

• Honey: may be used to get rid of infections and redness
• Petroleum jelly: it has a hydrating effect that prevents the scar from worsening

Home remedies are widely available and can be purchased over the counter. But there is no guarantee they are effective for treating facial scars as little research ascertains their effectiveness. They may also have allergic reactions to those with sensitive skin.

There are multiple options available for treating facial scars. The ultimate option depends on the type of scar, risks involved, and your budget. It is essential to consult a dermatologist to determine the best treatment choice for your facial scar. Besides, most scars are permanent, and the available treatment doesn’t eliminate but reduce their visibility on your face.