WHY DOES SKIN SCAR?
And how to treat and reduce appearance of scars.
When your skin is injured, a natural repair process begins automatically... healing! Scarring is a skin tissue repair process that revolves around three stages:
Inflammatory Phase
Healing begins with an inflammatory phase. Your skin will feel red and hot which is your body defending itself.
Proliferative Phase
This is followed by a deep healing phase during which the dermal tissues regenerate with new tissue made up of collagen and extracellular matrix.
Maturation Phase
Your wound then enters a phase of "epidermal remodelling" where your skin cells activate to close from the edges of your wound with new tissue. With superficial lesions, your skin can regenerate completely. For deeper wounds, a scar often remains. But there are things you can do to help the healing process and reduce the appearance of scars.
There are all kinds of scars... Understanding your type of scar means being able to take the right course of action.
FLAT OR WHITE - These are the most common. Smooth and discreet, they fade over time until they sometimes become almost invisible.
HYPERTROPHIC - Swollen and reddish at the site of the initial lesion, it can be itchy and painful. These scars can be improved.
KELOIDS - Red, swollen, and often painful, spread around the original wound. These scars can benefit from drug treatments, or even surgical revision.
ATROPHIC - Left by severe acne or chickenpox , these small traces are often circular, slightly hollowed out in the skin. The best solution for these scars remains prevention.
A fall from a bike, a knife that slips in the kitchen, a wound that becomes infected, a surgical operation ... our skin bears the traces of our experiences.
While some wounds are fleeting, others remain. The golden rule of scarring? Act quickly and very vigilant throughout the progress of healing. ! The treatment of your wound largely determines the scar.
This is why we developed our new Cicalfate Scar Gel, which helps reduce the appearance of scars in 3 weeks^, following surgical procedures (post-caesarean section, post-orthopaedic surgery, post-mastectomy, post-thyroidectomy). Smooth scar tissue, reduce redness, and itching of scars on both the face and body. Follow our unique massage technique for optimal results!
Did you know that massaging a scar can help with its appearance?
The first and most important step is to determine the maturity of your scar.
It's actually very easy to determine! Simply monitor the time it takes for the skin to re-colour after whitening when you press it down.
Less than one second? Immature scarring (usually up to 1 month after wound closure)
After 3 seconds: mature scar (usually after 3 months).
Be careful, too much massage can worsen the development and appearance of the scar. Do not massage a scar that is still inflammatory. For optimum results, use our specific massage technique, developed with Dr Ster’s clinic, the European Centre for Scars and Severe Burns. There are 3 massage techniques depending on the scar's maturity.
IMMATURE SCAR Gently apply the product by pressing down along the direction of the scar
MATURING SCAR Massage using a palpate-and-roll motion
MATURE SCAR Massage by stretching the skin in the direction of the scar
Watch the video:
Click to learn more about our NEW Cicalfate Scar Gel!
^ In-use study (under pediatrical and ophthalmological) on 32 subjects - Product applied twice daily for 21 days.