How to Naturally Minimise Scarring
There have been many instances whereby I have had someone come to me, frantically asking about how to naturally minimise scarring. I do not care how careful you are, we all make mistakes and unless you are wrapped in bubble-wrap, scarring is bound to happen. Now, just to say, what I have to say in this post has to do with all wounds; cuts, pimples, acne, you name it. So, if scarring is your main concern; whether its old scars or new scars, I may have something to help.
HOW DO SCARS FORM
If you are a regular on MelenialSkin, you know that I always want to give you the 411 before I give you answers. I think that it is important for us to know how our bodies work and why certain things happen. In this instance, I want to inform you on what exactly happens, the minute your skin gets compromised. When the skin is injured, collagen production goes into overdrive to fix the wound as fast as possible. This healing tissue doesn’t contain all of the normal parts of the skin, so it looks different. The way your scar looks will depend on a lot of things, such as the shape, size, location, depth and how much blood the area receives.
TYPES OF SCARS
There are three main types of scars. Normal scars are relatively thin, small, and flat. Hypertrophic scars are red, thick, and raised. Keloid scars are also raised, often dark or red, and, unlike hypertrophic scars, expand beyond the contours of the actual wound.
NATURALLY MINIMISE SCARRING: DON’TS
Before we delve into the meatier details of this post. Let’s point out the things we need to look out for when it comes to caring for wounds. A lot of the things we create a conducive environment for scarring to form.
1. CLEAN WOUNDS
It is very important to take care of wounds whilst they are still fresh. How you deal with a wound while it’s fresh is a huge determining factor as to how it will look when it has healed. Try to always keep your wounds clean, this also goes for acne face wounds. The cleaner the wound, the better the chances that it will heal better. If it’s dirty, however, chances are that the wounding may get infected which is not what we want.
2. INFECTIONS
As I was saying above, wounds are prone to infections. DIRTY wounds, especially, are prone to infections. The science behind what I am saying says that some infectious bacteria contains create toxins or some metabolic byproduct that eats away at the tissues. Thus, there is a connection between infections and bad scarring.
3. PICKING AT SCABS
If you want to get a scar, pick at your wound. I know a lot of people who say picking at their scabs or acne pimples feels “satisfying” (whatever that means). But trust me, it is the best way to guarantee that you will scar. Wounds are a way of your body showing you that something has been compromised. Your body is trying to heal itself through natural cell turnover. You coming in and PICKING at the scab, compromises the skin even further and creates scars.
4. SUN EXPOSURE
If you have wounds that are still healing and the wounded area still looks significantly different from that of other skin, do not expose it to prolonged ultraviolet light. Your healing skin is vulnerable, unlike healthy skin. It cannot withstand the vicious sun rays the same way your body can. The sun can cause the scar to permanently darken so you should always remember to protect it.
NATURALLY MINIMISE SCARRING DOS
While it’s not possible to completely prevent scarring from happening, there are measure you can take to minimise hectic scarring.
1. ALLOW THE SCAR TO HEAL
Speaking to a lot of you has made me realise that people are actually very impatient. To achieve good skin is to be patient and to be patient is to achieve good skin. Impatience is what makes people pick at their scars and this is really bad. Not only are we opening up the skin to infections but to scarring as well. Allow your wound to heal completely before you start fiddling with it.
2. KEEPING IT MOIST
I know when I was growing up my mom always told me to let a wound breathe and this can actually cause problems. If you’re wounded, make sure that the wound does not dry out. Always keep the wound moist with antibacterial and antifungal carrier oils. These include coconut (apply this only on body not on face because it clogs pores), Neem oil, Emu oil, sunflower oil and the list is endless. Essential oils such a tea-tree also have these properties.
If the wound is open, apply a nonstick bandage until it closes up.
3. SUNSCREEN
Apply sunscreen to the area once the wound has healed. This will help with the discolouration and for reasons mentioned above.
4. EXFOLIATION
This will help with quicker cell turnover. Exfoliate the area everyday if it is on your body and twice a week on your face. This will help remove the dead surface skin and reveal new skin. This should be only be done on wounds which have completely healed, duh.
5. KEEP SKIN MOISTURISED
Alway moisturise with good quality carrier oils to make sure skin remains hydrated and supple in order to renew. Oils like castor oil are great skin regenerating oils. But castor can be drying so mix it with a greater regenerating oil such as rosehip and these will aid to naturally minimise scarring
The lost determine factor is how you deal with a scar during the beginning. Minimising scaring is simple when you have acquired the patience. I know they are annoying, but it the beauty of the healing process and will help on how to Naturally manage scarring.
I hope this helps and you find the strength to follow through.
