How to Treat Scarring

A scar is a raised layer of skin that forms over wounds during the body's healing process and is a permanent mark on the skin once the skin completely heals. While a scar may never disappear completely, you can reduce the appearance of the scar with a variety of medical treatments which include dermabrasion, laser resurfacing and injections for acne scars. As with any treatment, contact your dermatologist before proceeding to ensure safety.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult with a cosmetic surgeon to remove the scar. Surgery helps reduce the shape of the raised scar and may reduce the size of the scar, but there is a risk of new scars forming around the old one after surgery. If your skin tends to form keloids, raised areas of skin that are hard to the touch, surgery is not recommended.

• 2

  Receive steroid treatments. Steroids reduce the appearance of the scar by flattening it. In order to be effective, continuous injections are necessary to keep the scar from reappearing and raising above the skin's surface.

• 3

  Get a microdermabrasion treatment. Microdermabrasion carefully removes the first layer of skin and promotes the regeneration of new skin through cell stimulation. Microdermabrasion is less invasive than dermabrasion and is considerably less expensive. Visit your dermatologist for a consultation prior to receiving microdermabrasion.

• 4

  Ask about laser resurfacing. A laser resurfacing treatment removes the first two layers of skin in order to remove the scar and is not an invasive treatment. Several resurfacing treatments may be necessary to successfully diminish the appearance of the scar, and post-treatment irritation lasts for two to three days. Skin irritation includes redness, swelling or slight pain. Do not get laser resurfacing if you have a dark complexion, as the resurfacing treatment may cause hyper pigmentation, the appearance of light or white spots where the skin was treated.