Scarring is the end result when the body repairs itself from an injury to some part of the body, either internally or externally. Examples would include muscle damage to the heart after a heart attack or a cut to the skin from a sharp object.

In response to the wound or injury, the body produces a larger quantity of collagen which is used to repair the broken and damaged tissue. Collagen is a protein and serves to ‘bind’ the broken skin together, helping to close and heal the area. Even after the wound has healed the body continues to direct collagen to the site resulting in changes to the size and shape over time. Scars can sometimes be raised areas or have a sunken appearance, depending on the damage done to underlying layers of skin and tissue. Certain areas of the body, such as the knees and shoulders, are also more prone to scarring than others and the color and visibility can vary. In addition a person’s age and skin color also plays a role in scarring. Younger skin is better able to heal itself and darker skin is more likely to scar.

There are three types of scars:

• Atrophic scars appear as a hole or depressed valley in the skin (think scars from acne).
• Hypertrophic scars start out raised above the rest of the skin before flatten out over time.
• Keloidal scars are an overgrowth of tissue that extends past the boundaries of the injury (think of skin growths around an ear piercing).
  
  The type of injury and the body’s particular reaction to the injury plays a role in how a scar will form – some people are prone to Keloidal scars, some have scarring from severe acne while others may simply have an odd patch of skin from an injury.

Scars, while they may be unattractive, are generally not painful. Depending on the severity and type of scarring it may fade somewhat over time. This may be fine unless the scar is on your face or some other highly visible area and causes embarrassment. Any time there is an injury it is key to begin taking care of the wound immediately to ensure that it heals as well as it possibly can. Once the injury has healed sufficiently (scabbing has fallen off naturally) use a topical ointmentsuch as Dermarest® Scar Reducer that is formulated to treat scars. For severe scarring, advanced treatments such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion may be necessary.

Stretch marks may look similar to scars but are formed differently.