Scars are the body's natural response to skin trauma. These traumas could be a result of accidents or a simple cut. Once a wound closes, new skin grows over the affected area, and the end result is what a scar typically looks like. However, the final appearance of a scar depends on several factors, including the severity of the original injury, the treatment done to the injury, type of scar, location and even genetics.
Initially, a scar may appear red and thick, but over time, it generally fades as it heals. A form of abnormal scar is the hypertrophic scar, which is a red and raised bump over the site of the wound. Another is keloids, which result from excessive collagen produced by the body in response to the trauma. Keloids can grow bigger and develop outside of the original wound area.
Scars can cause physical deformity. This happens in the example of contracture scars. This type of scar pulls the skin's edges together, causing tightness. This, in turn, affects the joints, muscles and tendons, typically causing a decrease in movement.
Disfigurement occurs when the trauma causes a scar that changes an individual's appearance. Examples are scars from burns, motor vehicle and heavy machinery accidents, physical assaults and others.
The physical and psychological impact of disfigurement is extensive, and many affected persons still have difficulty recovering (emotionally in particular) despite the event taking place a long time ago.
Typical motor vehicle injuries that can cause scarring and disfigurement include amputation, lacerations, burns and injuries to the face, eye, nose and dental features.
Traumas such as motor vehicle accidents may often require multiple surgeries. This usually commences with the effort to save the individual's life and limbs and manage other injuries. Subsequent surgeries involve the improvement of functionality and appearance of the affected parts.
Depending on the injuries, some may need to be fitted with prosthetics (for loss of limbs), skin grafts for burn victims and cosmetic procedures to further improve their appearance. Scars do not disappear completely, but procedures such as scar revision can help to improve their appearance.
Depending on the extent of the scarring and disfigurement, there are non-invasive, injectables and minimally invasive solutions to improve the condition.
If you are bothered by body scars and would like to seek help for it, we welcome you to give us a call and schedule a consultation with Dr Ivan Puah to understand the available options that you can undertake to improve the condition.