By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-08-05 15:41:47 | Word Count: 664
Along with a major injury come many inconvenient side effects, from having to take time off work, to the pain, to the activities you miss out on while healing. But one side effect that usually lasts longer than the rest is scarring. Not only are scars unsightly, they can also cause a lack of confidence as well as physical pain long after every other part of the injury has healed. The pain caused by these scars is a result of scar tissue. Scar tissue is what is left over in the deeper layers of the skin after the surface injury heals. It is painful because, as it replaces the elements of the skin that were there prior to the injury, it is far inferior in terms of practical functionality, and is treated partially as an intruder by the normal anatomical features of your skin. .
If you’ve suffered an injury which resulted in the formation of a scar, there are things you can do to speed up the healing process and therefore reduce the amount of scar tissue build up that will require treatment. One option is oils. Oils help to soften the tissue, which may soften the tissue around a wound, and help to heal the area fully, which will leave a smaller scar surface to be treated. A few common oils used for this purpose are lavender oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E oil.
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These oils will not do much to lessen the appearance of scars, however, and are really only effective as a preventative treatment. There are also many creams which contain similar active ingredients, but are much easier to apply and wear than these oils. However, creams and oils are both quite messy, and many people have trouble wearing them for long periods of time.
Once the wound has healed, it is possible to see what kind of scar is left. There are very few treatments that have proven clinically effective for actually reducing scars once they have formed, and most options require a prescription or a visit to the dermatologist. Dermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser resurfacing have inconsistent results, and will cost in the thousands of dollars.
Another option that has been gaining popularity among the medical community is the silicone patch. The silicone patch, InvisiScar® has similar skin softening elements as oils and creams, healing the scar tissue and improving appearance at the source of the scar without using painful methods. In addition, silicone patches are much less messy than these liquid substances, so patients can wear them at nighttime without having to worry about whether they’re able to stay on and do their job. The patches also deliver an additional healing benefit in that they keep the site of the scar at a consistent temperature, which is said to encourage cell movement and therefore accelerate healing time. For those who like to use creams, a very effective method is to use these creams and/or oils during the day, and go with a silicone patch at night for even more healing effects.
