A Younger Look for the New Year

5 Tips for Reducing the Appearance of Scars

If you have been injured, especially if you have been injured on your face from a scratch or other accident, you will want to know what you can do to reduce the appearance of scars. Scarring is definitely not something anyone wants to deal with, especially on their face. Here are five tips to help you reduce the scars' appearance.

  1. Keep the Area Clean: It's important that you keep the surface area of the scar or injury clean from dirt and debris. Your skin in this area is going to be more sensitive because of the fact that the skin is repairing itself at this time. If you don't keep it clean, the dirt and debris can cause the area to scar more easily and rapidly, since dirt is abrasive on the skin.
  2. Keep the Injury Moist: While the injury is healing, you need to keep it moist. The best way to do this is to apply petroleum jelly. Not only will this keep the area moist, but it will also prevent the injury from becoming itchy. When you aren't itching at the injury, the area heals more quickly. When the injury is moist, it also prevents a hard scab from forming, which is going to reduce the chances of scarring. 
  3. Keep It Covered: After you apply petroleum jelly, it's best to keep the injury covered with a bandage. This is going to help retain the moisture so it doesn't dry out as quickly. This way, you don't have to continually apply the jelly. This is also going to help you avoid touching the area, which is only going to add more dirt to the area and irritate it. 
  4. Follow Correct Care for Stitches: If you had to have stitches, it's important that you follow the advice from your doctor about how to care for the healing area. You should also have the stitches removed by your doctor as soon as you are able to, as this helps to increase the speed of recovery. Don't attempt to remove the stitches on your own, as this can lead to irritation. Your doctor will have the correct tools to remove the stitches correctly and gently. 
  5. Use Sunscreen: You should always be wearing sunscreen when you are going to be out in the sun, but this is even more important when your skin is healing from an injury. The area of your skin that is healing is going to be more sensitive to the sun's harsh rays, and any potential scarring is going to darken if it is exposed to the sun. 

When you follow these five tips, you can be sure that the chance of scarring will be highly reduced. If there is a scar in the end, talk to your dermatologist or one at an organization like Dermatology Surgery Center about different methods you can use to fade it. 


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