If you have a painful, itchy, and unsightly scar, our providers at Borealis Dermatology can use state-of-the-art treatments to remove your scars, make them less visible, and help you feel better in your skin.
What is a Scar Treatment?
Scar treatment includes various treatment options, from non-surgical to surgical, to remove and reduce the effects of scars. Scars are the body’s natural process of healing and replacing lost or damaged skin and are typically composed of fibrous tissues. Scars can appear anywhere, and the composition of the scar can vary depending on what caused it to develop.
Did you know…
Age, location, and genetics can affect how scars form. While the reasons for how these scars develop aren’t precisely clear, stromal-cell-derived-factor-1 is a compound secreted in the bloodstream that is indicated to be a key factor in how scars form and develop, specifically in older people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes Scars?
When the skin is wounded or damaged, an inflammatory process ensues. As a part of this process, collagen is produced. The collagen proteins build up in the area where the tissue is damaged, strengthening and healing the wound. As new collagen forms for several months and there’s a continuous blood supply to the area, this process typically results in scars.
What types of Scars are there?
There are multiple types of scars, depending on the cause, wound size, body part affected, and wound care applied. These types include:
- Cicatrix Scars (Flat Scars): Flat scars appear pink to reddish and are slightly raised. These scars are considered the most minimal and common types of scars.
- Hypertrophic Scars (Raised Scars): Raised scars typically take months or years to flatten and form along the chest, upper back, and shoulder areas. Some raised scars can feel itchy or painful.
- Atrophic Scars (Depressed Scars): Depressed scars appear pitted in the skin and normally develop from conditions such as chickenpox and severe acne.
- Keloids: Keloids are raised areas that grow much larger than the wound site and can feel itchy or painful.
- Contracture Scars: Contracture scars limit movement due to the thickness of the scar skin tissue and are often caused by burns and large keloid formations.
- Stretch Marks: Stretch marks are a type of scar caused by breaks in the connective tissues and can be easily caused by pregnancy, rapid weight loss, and rapid weight gain.
How can Scars be treated?
Scars can be treated depending on the scar type, the wound site area, overall skin health, and other factors. Our providers will examine the area to determine its type and recommend what treatment will produce the best results. Some treatment options can include pressure therapy, silicone gel treatment, laser therapy, and corticosteroid injections to reduce its size and ease symptoms of itching and pain.
Keloid scar management can include a combination of approaches, including:
- Wound Care: Compression dressings apply pressure to help prevent keloid formation and reduce its growth.
- Corticosteroid Cream: Prescription-strength corticosteroid creams can help ease itching and discomfort from the keloid scars.
- Injections: Monthly cortisone and steroid injections can be used to reduce their thickness and flatten the scar over time.
- Cryotherapy: In some cases, multiple sessions of cryotherapy, or freezing the scar with liquid nitrogen, can reduce and remove the scar completely.
- Laser Treatment: Laser therapy can ease itching and cause the keloid scars to fade over several sessions.
Contact Borealis Dermatology to see if you are a candidate for any of the mentioned scar treatments. Borealis Dermatology offers two convenient locations to provide various treatments for our patients in the Queens and Long Island areas. You can experience the highest medical and aesthetic expertise available through our treatment options by visiting our clinic.
