Accidents happen to all of us. From clumsy falls to slips of the hand, it’s almost a little too easy to get injured right in the comfort of your very own home. If you do happen to find yourself the victim of an injury, be it self-induced or otherwise, then one thing you’ll probably start wondering about is your likelihood of scarring. But, it can often be difficult for a doctor to predict whether or not a wound will leave a mark, and to what extend that mark will be visible over time. Therefore, it’s important to know what steps to take to minimize your chances of scarring after an injury. Santo Criscuolo owns Ambrosia Medspa, a Seattle-area skin care clinic offering a variety of treatments designed to repair and rejuvenate the skin. He offers the following tips on how to reduce scarring:
Keep it moist and clean
One of the best ways to prevent scarring is to keep the wounded area of your skin moist and clean. Therefore, it is important that you get your hands on some kind of antibacterial cream or ointment such as Neosporin to treat the affected area on a regular basis, especially for the first couple of weeks following your injury. The benefit of visiting a medical spa after your incident is that many facilities carry medical-grade, high-quality products that are effective in healing the skin. For example, the Neocutis Bio-restorative line of products contains human growth factors which can reduce healing time by 50%.
Wash your hands
Whether you mean for it to happen or not, chances are, your hands are going to wander towards the affected area from time to time. If your hands aren’t clean when this happens, then you can easily make the problem worse by introducing dirt and bacteria into the wound. While handwashing is something that should be practiced daily, it is especially important to wash your hands regularly if you expect to be handling an injured area, be it intentionally or not.
Don’t pick at scabs
One of the worst things that you can do after an injury is to pick at the leftover scab. Although scabs can be itchy, it’s important that you exercise self-control once a scab starts to form. By scratching your scab, you can end up creating a secondary injury by pulling and picking at skin that is not fully developed or healed. So find something else to do with your hands and let that scab be.
Step away from the mirror
For the body-conscious individual, it’s natural to spend many minutes (or hours) in front of the mirror, staring at that wound or scab in all of its unsightly glory. As long as this routine does not involve unnecessary touching or picking, then gaping at your own gash won’t do it much harm. On the other hand, it won’t actually do a thing to help it. In fact, all it will really do is upset you and give you something to worry about. While simply waiting it out doesn’t seem like a wonderful option, during those first few post-injury days, it’s important to just step away from the mirror and give your wound some time to heal. There’s no need to torture yourself by obsessing over something that could end up being just a temporary physical imperfection. And contrary to what you might think, you can’t simply stare that wound into oblivion. So give the mirror – and yourself – a break.
Don’t wait too long to get treatment
While you do need to give your wound some time to heal on its own, once your doctor gives you the go-ahead, you should visit a trusted medical spa to learn about treatment options for scar reduction and elimination. Two things can make a scar unsightly — color and texture. If you get the proper treatment early enough, then you can tackle those issues before they set in and become more permanent. A microdermabrasion treatment combined with a TCA peel can smooth out the skin’s texture, while a FotoFacial-type treatment can even out pigment discoloration and stimulate new collagen. When it comes to tackling scars, the sooner you go to your medical spa, the better your results are likely to be.
Accidents are never fun, and the waiting period after an injury can certainly be emotionally trying. That’s why it’s important to do your best to stay positive during this time and heed the advice of your doctor to avoid making the situation worse. Of course, some people do say that scars help add character. But thanks to the wonderful advances in the world of scar treatments, you can rest assured that with the proper care and techniques, you’ll probably end up looking no different than your regular old self.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
