SCARS...

[admin]

ARE YOU STUCK WITH THEM

Bad boys are the only ones I know who like the unsightly remnants of unpleasant events like injuries, unwanted surgeries, and acne. As women, we yearn for the surface of our skin to be smooth and flawless. Scars -- we don’t want to live with them, but can we live without them? Unfortunately, the answer is “no.” Mankind has not discovered a way to completely remove scars. The good news is that the appearance of scars can be greatly diminished to the point where they are barely recognizable in many cases.

Surgical options can relocate, disguise, or reduce the prominence of a scar. There are also less invasive and more affordable options you can try at home that can lighten scars and make them less distinctive. The key to the diminishment of any scar is to doctor it as early as possible. The sooner you address it, the better the result.

WAYS TO IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE OF SCARS:

Sandalwood: Make a paste of sandalwood which has soaked overnight in water, add rose water, and apply it to the skin. This remedy is one of the most effective scar treatments.

Aloe Vera: Apply to wounds immediately as a preventative to scar formation. The gel from the leaf of aloe vera can produce rather miraculous results for
all sorts of skin issues.

Lemon juice: Rub a halved lemon over the scar. The juice bleaches the scar resulting in lightening of the scar
.
Almond, Lavender or Vitamin E oil: Apply twice daily and gently massage the scar. Always keep the area of a new scar moisturized.

Fenugreek seeds: Boil in water (1 tsp to1liter), cool, and saturate the scar.

Honey: Apply twice daily. Manuka honey is especially effective in the healing of scars.

Over-the-counter scar removal creams: Look for products with silicone, alpha- hydroxyl acids and onion extract, but remember there is no such thing as complete removal.

Baking soda: Massaging the area with baking soda and water is a natural way to exfoliate the skin and remove scar tissue. Rinse with warm water and massage with oil twice daily.

Microdermabrasion: This treatment removes the outer layer of skin. Usually multiple treatments are needed.

Chemical peels: Gentle acids are used to remove the top of layer of skin. This method is best for very mild scars and may require some recovery time.

Injectable fillers: Fillers such as collagen are a temporary solution unless you want to maintain the results with upkeep every 3 to 6 months.

Skin grafting: For conspicuous scars, transplanting skin from a less noticeable area will leave another scar, albeit one you may be less self-conscious of.

Laser resurfacing: Lasers remove flawed skin cells, allowing new cells to form. Scars may reduce by 50 to 80 percent; however, there is risk of a change in skin pigmentation.

Any of these methods have the potential to leave behind only a trace of the reminder of something you would prefer to leave behind. But, in the end, take a lesson from the “bad boys” and embrace the remnant as yet another special part of you.

by Amy Warren, LMHC

[Val Filipski]

Great DIY tips (well, SOME are DIY!)! I've used Traumeel tabs & topicals immediately post surgery for scar prevention/mitigation.

There is another option that will make the scars visually disappear. Consult with the Scar Wizard who is a member here, Judy Newdom of Facecrafter. Click on this link for some samples.
Val

[Judy Newdom,CPCP]

Amy, What about permanent makeup? I can make scars visually disappear by adding skin tone matching color to the scar. Of course this is only for white or light colored scars, but that is the majority of them.
Judy Newdom
Facecrafter Permanent Cosmetics