Clearing Old Injury Scars at Home

A scar is a residual mark from an injury left on the skin after the injury must have healed up. In other words, scars are natural remnants of the healing process of a skin injury. Scars are very common, and almost everybody has one. Scars can either be within or without the body. The ones on the inner part of the body sometimes come as a result of healed cuts on organs from surgeries. Other ones on the outer part of the body(skin) can be as a result of acne, cuts, chickenpox, or burns.

How Scars Form on the Skin

Injuries to the skin are tantamount to tissue breakage, and during the healing process, a protein known as collagen develops at the site of the damaged tissue, strengthening and healing the wound in the process. After some days, more collagen is formed. The supply of blood to the injury increases, thereby turning the injury into a scar gradually. This process makes the injury lumpy, and this raised lumpiness reduces the flow of blood into the injury in the process, making the scar appear smoother and softer.

Scars can sometimes be permanent. However, some fade within a period of two years. After this period of two years, it is quite impossible for them to fade afterward.

Causes of scars

• Scars occur as a result of healed injuries, and these injuries include;
• Surgery scars, especially after cesarean section.
• Scalds
• Accidents
• Cuts
• Self-harm
• Bites from animals
• Tuberculosis vaccination
• Body piercings
• Scars can easily develop on any part of the body, both inside and outside.

Types of Scars

There are various kinds of scars, and they include;

• Hypertrophic scars: This occurs when excess scar tissue is formed and grows on the site of the injury and can remain the same way for up to 5 years. Hypertrophic scars restrict movement because scar tissues do not have the flexibility feature the normal skin tissue has. It heals within the boundary of the wound, and the scar tissue becomes paler after some time.
• Keloid scars: Just like hypertrophic scars, keloids occur when excess scar tissue is formed on the site of the injury but outgrows the boundaries of the original wounds. They appear to be darker than the normal skin color. Other features of keloid scar include; raised skin, initial itchiness, and painfulness. It looks bigger than the original wound, with a burning sensation, and it is usually hard with a rubber-feel when touched. Keloid scar looks paler after some time.
• Pitted scars; It is also known as atrophic scars. It usually comes with a sunken appearance. Atrophic scars have darker pigmentations and appear flat on the skin. Examples include chickenpox and acne scars.
• Contracture scars: This occurs when the skin shrinks and tightens. This scar usually occurs after a burn or scald. This kind of scar can limit movement, and if the movement is made forcefully, there would be a tear, which would lead to more wounds and pain. Contracture scars usually appear shiny.

Emotional Effects of Scars

When scars occur on the face, it can be very traumatizing, especially for females. The person would always feel like everyone is staring at the scar, and this can make the person avoid places with many people, avoid meeting people, avoid going out, avoid catching fun, and looking in the mirror. This automatically makes the person isolated from others leading to psychological illnesses such as depression. Scars on obvious body parts can cause emotional distress for people, of which most people slide into depression as a result of this.

Natural Remedies for Clearing Old Ugly Scars

Some scars fade on their own over a period of two years, depending on the severity of the injury that caused the scar. While some other ones last up to five years and end up not clearing at all. Although there is no known method of clearing scars, however, some natural home remedies have been identified to help make the way the scar appears lighter and smaller. Some of these natural remedies include;

Aloe vera

• Aloe vera is a skin-friendly natural remedy that is known to treat various skin defects.
• Remove the aloe vera skin.
• Scoop out the gel
• Apply the scooped gel directly to the scar
• Rub carefully in a circular motion and leave for about 30 minutes before washing off with cold water
• Repeat this action twice a day until you begin to see results

Vitamin E Capsule

• Squeeze out the oil from the vitamin E oil. Use as many capsules that would be enough to cover your scar.
• Massage the vitamin E oil into the scar tissue and the skin around it for about 20 minutes
• Repeat this action 3 times per day until you see results

Honey

• Honey is a natural scar remover and is advised in hospitals to be applied on wounds to clear the after-injury scar and speed up the healing process.
• Apply honey on the scar about three times daily until you see changes.

Coconut Oil

• Heat up a teaspoon full of coconut oil.
• Massage the oil into your scar until the skin absorbs the oil
• Repeat this action 3-4 times a day until positives results begin to show

Apple Cider Vinegar

• Mix little water with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• Dab the scar with the mixture using a cotton wool
• Allow your skin to absorb it properly.
• Keep up with this activity every night before going to bed and wash the apple cider vinegar mixture off your scar the next morning.

Lavender Oil and Olive oil

• Mix just a teaspoon of lavender oil and one teaspoon of olive oil together.
• Apply the mixture on the scar and massage generously into your skin until your skin absorbs it
• After absorption, rinse the scar with warm water
• Repeat these 3 times a day

Lemon

• Generously rub a slice of lemon on the scar while squeezing the juice out of the slice into the scar.
• Continue this for about 30 minutes.
• Keeping doing this every day at the same time.

Baking Soda

• Mix the baking powder in little water until it forms a paste.
• Wet the scar with warm water
• Give the scar a warm compress for about 15 minutes.
• Rinse your scar after this process
• Repeat regularly

Potatoes

• Slice potato into round shapes
• Rub the potato slice into your scar in a circular motion
• Rub until it gets dried, pick another slice and continue rubbing
• Continue this for 30 minutes.
• Rinse the scar with cool running water
• Repeat this process regularly.

Rosehip and Frankincense

• Mix rosehip and frankincense oil in equal proportion
• Massage the mixture into the scar
• Continue massaging for about 45 minutes.
• Repeat the procedure 3 times daily

Other scar treatment measures include;

• Over-the-counter creams and ointments and silicone gel.
• Surgical removal. Usually, the skin is harvested from some other parts of the body and is used to replace the lost skin after surgical removal.
• Injecting interferon into the scar can treat scars that are sticking out, like keloids. This injection has been found by experts to reduce keloids by 50%.
• Laser therapy. Here, a laser is used to flatten the raised scar tissue and interrupt the flow of blood into the scar, which would, in turn, put a stop to its existence.

Prevention

It is almost impossible to prevent scars as injury, which is the major cause of scar formation, is almost inevitable and, in some cases, cannot be prevented. However, there are some things that can be done to reduce the impact of the injury and reduce the appearance and obviousness of scars. These methods include;

• Immediate removal of dead tissues
• Cleaning the dirt off the injury immediately after the incident
• Avoid scratching the wound.
• Covering the wounds with protective ointments as well as covering the wound with bandages would keep it safe from infections and complications.

In summary, scars are ugly, no matter how little. They are the aftermath of every injury, and the different types of scar depend on the severity of the injury and can appear anywhere inside and outside the body. A number of natural remedies have been identified to be effective in the clearing of ugly scars. Sticking to the treatment procedure and process would make the scar fade over time. However, other treatment methods like injection and surgical removal have proven to be effective in reducing the size and appearance of scars.