There are many different ways you can accumulate scars throughout your lifetime, including injuries and surgeries. You can even have specific types of scars, called stretch marks, from pregnancy, bodybuilding, and weight gain. To minimize the visibility of these scars, you can find everything from over-the-counter products to professional scar removal and wound care tips.
Consult a Professional
Since your scars are as unique as your life experiences, wound care specialists, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons like Dr. Joel Aronowitz can help you determine the best way to approach older scars and the potential scarring of recent wounds or surgical sites. This can be especially important if you are having plastic surgery to fix other problem areas, such as excess skin after weight loss or facial reconstruction after a severe injury. A professional can also tell you when a scar can become less visible through medical procedures or prescription ointments instead of over-the-counter products and healthy living.
Expand Your Skincare Routine
In addition to keeping your skin clean, moisturized, and protected from the sun, staying hydrated and avoiding smoking are essential to having healthy skin. The healthier your skin is, the more elastic it is, and the easier it will heal scars like stretchmarks, old wounds and recent scratches. Joel Aronowitz MD and other plastic surgeons can recommend specific products and healthy habits to help your skin bounce back from surgery or injury with minimum scarring. Skin health is about reducing wrinkles and scars; healthy skin can help you heal faster from injuries or medical procedures.
Use Proper Wound Care
Regardless of the wound you receive, there will be proper ways to help care for your skin so it heals quickly and effectively. This means thoroughly following your medical team’s cleaning and care instructions, keeping an ointment on the wound to prevent scabbing and covering the wound with suitable materials. Adequately cleaning and covering the area will reduce itching and drying of the surrounding area, which can lead to longer-lasting and more visible scarring. You will want to be sure that the wound dressing you use will move with you and not contain anything you are allergic to. For instance, if you have a latex allergy, find products without that substance to avoid further complications and damage to the skin.
Scars can make you self-conscious and even get in the way of proper movement and function, depending on their location. You can minimize the visibility of old scars and keep new ones from becoming too noticeable with some tips such as working with a professional medical team, developing skin-healthy habits and using proper wound care.
