About Preventing Scarring

Scars are often the result when the skin sustains some type of injury. They can be caused by something as small as a scratch or something as large a surgical incision. In fact, scarring is part of the body's way of healing wounds. Unfortunately, scars are often unsightly, and you may wish to prevent them or at least minimize their development.

Function

• Since scar tissue is part of the body's way of healing itself, scars are not always preventable. When you get a cut or wound that goes beyond the uppermost layer of skin, collagen in your skin's second layer goes to work. It rises up to the surface of the skin to assist the wound with closing. As a result, a scar forms. As it is difficult to interrupt this process, you may often have to be content with trying to minimize the scarring instead of preventing scar tissue altogether.

Prevention/Solution

• To help prevent scars, or at least minimize their growth, it is important to handle the healing process well. Clean the wound site with warm water and the skin around it with soap and water. Keeping the wound clean while it heals helps to prevent infection and minimize scar tissue development. Don't pick at your wounds or scabs. Doing so will only cause you to develop additional scar tissue.

Misconceptions

• Many people assume it's best to let a wound breathe, but this allows it to dry out and scab over, a process you want to avoid to prevent scarring. It's best to use a bandage of some type to cover your wound instead. This will help to keep the wound moist until new skin begins to grow on it. In addition to a bandage, you should also use an antibacterial cream or ointment for about a week. After that, it is best to keep the wound moist with something like petroleum jelly. Keep the bandage on it until new skin growth becomes evident.

Types

• There are some types of treatment you should avoid when you want to prevent scarring, and they often go against what most people have learned concerning wound treatment. Avoid hydrogen peroxide, as it can help to disinfect the wound, but it also does the unexpected job of killing the new skin cells that form after you are wounded. When this happens, your body's healing process actually slows, and scar tissue may have an easier time developing. Likewise, you should not use vitamin E, as it also can impair the healing process.

Considerations

• Another option to consider for preventing scarring is buying special pads that flatten the scar tissue out even as it forms. These pads don't allow collagen to move up to the top of the skin during healing. You can also try massaging your wound once new skin has formed at the site. Massaging may help to break down the collagen bonds. If bonds of collagen are not allowed to form, scar tissue may not develop at all. If it does form, scarring may not be as apparent. Massage the skin for about a minute three or four times each day to prevent scarring.