How to Reduce the Appearance of Scars
Scars are blemishes or unsightly formations on the skin resulting from some type of injury, surgery, or skin condition such as acne. Some scars are barely noticeable but others can be rather unsightly and embarrassing if they’re in places that aren’t easy to cover. While some scars will never completely go away, there are ways to reduce the appearance of your scars.
Instructions
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Keep the wound clean and bandaged while it’s healing. Cleaning and covering wounds helps to keep out bacteria and prevent infection. If you allow a wound to become infected, treatment to clean the infected area may require that the doctor scrape out the germs and dead skin in the infected area. This can result in more scar tissue forming and a larger wound that has to heal, which means having an even larger scar.
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Don’t pick at scabs. When a scab forms over a wound, your skin cells are healing underneath. Picking at scabs can re-injure the affected area and result in a much more noticeable scar forming. Allowing scabs to heal and fall off on their own will reduce the appearance of the scar.
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Buy a scar diminishing product and apply it to the scar a few times a day. There are several over-the-counter scar diminishing creams and patches that work to reduce the appearance of both new and old scars. You have to be persistent and apply the creams a few times a day for several weeks before you will notice a diminished appearance in your scars. The patches are usually worn for extended periods of time directly over the scar. Depending on the type of scar, your doctor may recommend silicone gel sheets, steroid injections, or pressure treatments to help treat your scars.
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Break open a vitamin E capsule and dab the vitamin E oil on the scar. Vitamin E oil penetrates the skin and influences collagen production which helps the skin maintain it’s elasticity. Before applying vitamin E oil to the scar, be sure the area is clean and dry so you don’t trap any bacteria or germs from your skin in the affected area.
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Give it time. Most scars fade and become less noticeable with time. New skin cells are constantly forming and replacing the old ones. With scars, it will take time for the skin to renew itself. You will notice, with time, that your scar will get lighter and return to a shade close to your natural skin complexion as long as you don‘t re-injure the area.
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