Scarring
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Visible
scarring on the skin can cause self-consciousness
and embarrassment. If the scar is small
or in a location that is easy to conceal,
it is not too bad. However, if it is
on the face or other exposed areas of
the body, concealing is not always possible.
Causes and Risk
Factors
Scarring on the
skin is the skin’s way of recovering
whenever multiple layers of the skin
are injured. When the top layer of the
skin (epithelial layer) is lacerated,
the skin cells quickly divide to fill
in the gap. If the wound has penetrated
deeper into the underlying connective
tissue, the collagen-forming cells react
instantly and fill the gap with a dense
mass of fibrous connective tissue. If
this connective tissue is smaller in
size, the normal tissue eventually replaces
it.
However, for larger fibrous masses or
in the case of irreversible cell damage,
the scar tissue remains. New scars are
usually red or purple in color because
of broken capillaries and swelling.
Older scars are pale or white in appearance
because the pigment-producing cells
have been damaged.
Scars can result
from accidents, burns, diseases, skin
conditions such as acne, and surgeries.
Keloid scars are the result of an overly
aggressive healing process and usually
extend beyond the original injury. They
are typically treated through surgery
or other such medical therapy. Contracture
scars, caused by burns, lead to tightening
of the skin and in some cases may cause
muscle or nerve damage. Hypertrophic
scars are similar in appearance to keloids
but are not as serious.
Several factors
influence the way that the skin scars.
The location of the injury, the depth
and size of the wound or incision, age,
heredity, sex, and ethnicity will affect
how the skin reacts to an injury.
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