According to the American Academy of Dermatology, we each will develop at least one scar at some point in our lifetime. While scars are generally harmless and some will fade away over time, for others, they can be a constant reminder of an injury, skin condition, or a simple mark they’d rather forget about. Scars—from their causes to their appearance and their response to treatments—can be very complex. Fortunately, all of this complexity can be boiled down to some simple facts to help you understand why scars form and how you can reduce the appearance of unwanted scars for smoother, more even toned skin.
Skin is smart. When it experiences an injury, your skin naturally launches into repair mode to mend the tear. How well skin is able to repair an injury without any sign of damage depends on the depth of the injury. For those that extend to the inner layers of the skin (the dermis), skin kickstarts rapid production of collagen fibers, a protein considered to be one of the basic building blocks to healthy-looking skin, to mend the wound. However, in a rush to heal the wound, skin might mess up the neat lattice-like structure in which collagen is usually built. The thicker, less flexible skin that results from this quick repair is a scar.
When scars first form, they often appear pink or reddish in color and darker than your natural skin tone, lightening over time to appear white or silvery. If skin produces and directs too much collagen to the damaged area, scars will appear raised and may even grow to be larger in size than the initial injury. If excess inflammation occurs in or around the injured area during healing, the resulting scar will appear sunken, as inflammation will deteriorate the added collagen.
While some of us are more susceptible to some types of scarring—thanks to genetics—anyone can get a scar and most of us will. Some skin and health conditions can increase skin’s fragility and may inhibit healing, resulting in a higher risk of scarring. Some common causes of scars are acne breakouts, rashes, burns, cuts, scrapes, surgery, and more.
There are a few factors that can impact the way a scar forms and appears, including the cause of the scar, the appearance of the wound, where the skin was wounded, and how the wound was treated, alongside genetics, age, skin tone, and medications. The following are the six main types of scars:
Once scars have formed, there is no way to completely remove them, so the best way to minimize the risk of scarring is to take good care of a wound while it’s healing. Keep it clean and moisturized with a medicated ointment, avoid skin-damaging hydrogen peroxide when possible, get stitches when needed to better mend skin, and never pick at a scab or blemish.
Once a scar has formed, it may be possible to reduce its appearance, though treatment varies with type of scar and its overall impact. For example, treating scars that restrict movement may require surgical intervention, but acne and other scars, including stretch marks, may be treated with a series of customized skin resurfacing treatments. While there are a variety of skin resurfacing options, advanced radio frequency (RF) skin resurfacing treatments offer a safe solution for all skin tones. These treatments utilize tiny pins to safely deliver heat deep below the skin’s surface via NanoFractional RF energy, creating tiny micro-dermal wounds. This spurs the body into a sort of controlled healing mode to repair signs of skin damage, including stretch marks and scars from acne, injury, surgery, or other skin conditions.
Finally, advanced stem cell therapy serums may assist in the proper healing of skin during recovery from a skin resurfacing treatment—a concentrated formula of stem cells works to suppress inflammation and promote healing. Products with hyaluronic acid also support proper healing by providing a moisturizing boost to prevent dryness.
Interested in learning more about whether RF skin resurfacing treatments are the right choice to minimize your unwanted scar? Locate a certified treatment professional for a consultation today using the search field below.
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REGULATORY CLEARANCES [ More ]
Venus Versa™ has CE Mark as a multi-application device intended to be used in aesthetic and cosmetic procedures. The SR515 and SR580 applicators have CE Mark for the treatment of benign pigmented epidermal and cutaneous lesions and treatment of benign cutaneous vascular lesions. The HR650/HR650XL and HR690/HR690XL applicators have CE Mark for the removal of unwanted hair and to effect stable long-term or permanent hair reduction for Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV. The AC Dual applicator has CE Mark for the treatment of acne vulgaris. The DiamondPolar™ applicator has CE Mark for non-invasive treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides on females with Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV. The OctiPolar™ applicator on the Venus Versa™ system has CE Mark for temporary body contouring via skin tightening, circumferential reduction, and cellulite reduction. The NanoFractional RF™ (Viva) applicator has CE Mark for dermatological procedures requiring ablation and resurfacing of the skin.
NeoGraft® 2.0 has CE Mark with indication for use in suction-assisted follicular extraction and re-implantation for males and females.
ARTAS iX™ has CE Mark with indication for use for harvesting hair follicles from the scalp in men diagnosed with androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) who have black or brown straight hair. ARTAS iX™ is intended to assist physicians in identifying and extracting hair follicular units from the scalp during hair transplantation; creating recipient sites; and implanting harvested hair follicles.
Venus Epileve™ has CE Mark for hair removal, permanent hair reduction (defined as the long-term stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing when measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regimen), and the treatment of pseudofolliculitis barbae for all Fitzpatrick skin types. Venus Epileve™ is also CE-Marked for hirsutism.
Venus Legacy™ has CE Mark for the temporary increase of skin tightening, circumferential reduction, cellulite reduction, and wrinkle reduction.
Venus Velocity™ has CE Mark for hair removal, permanent hair reduction (defined as the long-term stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing when measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regimen), and the treatment of pseudofolliculitis barbae for all Fitzpatrick skin types.
Venus Viva™ has CE Mark for the use in dermatologic and general surgical procedures requiring ablation and resurfacing of the skin, and the treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides in Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV with the DiamondPolar™ applicator.
Venus Freeze Plus™ has CE Mark for treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides using the DiamondPolar™ applicator, and CE Mark for the treatment of cellulite reduction, increase of skin tightening, and temporary circumferential reduction on the OctiPolar™ applicator.
Venus Freeze™ has CE Mark for treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides using the DiamondPolar™ applicator, and CE Mark for the treatment of cellulite reduction, increase of skin tightening, and temporary circumferential reduction on the OctiPolar™ applicator.
Venus Glow™ provides a dermal rejuvenation treatment that works to open up and deep-clean pores. Venus Concept is the exclusive distributor for Venus Glow™.
Venus Bliss™ has CE Mark for addressing aspects related to body contouring, such as fat reduction and circumferential reduction, temporary increase of skin tightening and temporary cellulite reduction.
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