subject: Scars: an Examination of How They Develop and How They Can Be Cured [print this page] Scars: an Examination of How They Develop and How They Can Be Cured
Acne Scars and Frequent Scarring Occurrences
Before talking about scars, a word about spots that may seem to be like scars but are not scars in the perception that a lasting change has happened. Notwithstanding they are not true scars and dissipate in time, they are apparent and can cause somemortification.
Macules or "pseudo-scars" are flat, red or reddish spots that are the final phase of most inflamed acne wounds. After an inflamed acne lesion flattens, a macule may endure to "mark the spot" for up to 6 months. Whereas the macule eventually vanishes, no trace of it will remain-unlike a scar.
Post-inflammatory pigmentation is a discoloration of the skin at the site of a healed or healing blistered acne sore or after any injury onto the skin or after a small surgery. It occurs more often in darker-skinned people, but from time to time is seen in people with white skin. Early treatment by a skin care specialist may decrease the development of post-inflammatory pigmentation. A little post-inflammatory pigmentation may persist for up to 18 months, markedly with too much sun exposure. Chemical peeling may accelerate the vanishing of post-inflammatory pigmentation.
Causes of Scars
In the most basic terms, scars form at the location of an damage to skin tissue. They are the visible reminders of damage and tissue repair. In the case of acne, the harm is caused by the body's inflammatory response to sebum, bacteria and dead cells in the plugged sebaceous follicle. Two types of true scars exist, as considered later: (1) recessed areas such as ice-pick scars, and (2) raised thickened tissue such as keloids.
while skin tissue suffers an injury, the body rushes its repair kit to the harmed spot. Among the elements of the repair kit are white blood cells and an array of inflammatory molecules that have the task of repairing skin tissue and fighting infection. However, when their job is done they may leave a somewhat messy repair location in the form of fibrous scar tissue, or eroded tissue.
White blood cells and inflammatory molecules may endure at the location of an active acne lesion for days or even weeks. In persons who are sensitive to scarring, the proceed may be an acne scar. The appearance and incidence of scarring is still not well understood, though. There is considerable variation in scarring between one person and another, signifying that some people are more prone to scarring than others. Scarring commonly results from grave inflammatory nodulocystic acne that occurs deep in the skin. But, scarring also may arise from more superficial inflamed injuries. Nodulocystic acne is the most ordinary type of acne scar.
The complete origin and development of scars also is not well understood. Some persons bear their scars for a lifetime with little change in those scars, but in other people the skin undergoes some degree of remodeling and scars diminish in size.
Persons also have diverse attitude about scars. Scars of approximately the same size that may be psychologically distressing to one person may be accepted by different person as "not too bad." The person who is concerned by scars is more given to to seek treatment to reduce or remove the scars.
Prevention of Scars
As previously discussed, the occurrence of scarring is different in different people. It is difficult to predict who will scar, how extensive or deep scars will be, and how long scars will endure. It is also complicated to foresee how successfully scars can be prevented.
Nevertheless, the only positive mechanism of preventing or limiting the degree of scars is to treat the lesion early in its course, and as long as necessary. This means preventing additional infections as much as possible. The more that inflammation can be prevented or controlled, the more feasible it is that scars can be prevented. Any individual with acne or in the presence of a skin injury who has an admitted tendency to scar should be under the care of a skin care specialist whenever possible.
