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A scar is a result of the body's healing response and replacing lost or damaged skin. Scars may be formed for many different reasons, including as a result of infections, surgery, injuries, or inflammation of tissue.
What is it?
When a wound heals, your body produces a layer of collagen to cover the open area. Subsequently, the skin surrounding the wound grows over the collagen until the edges meet in the center. This produces the scar. The team at Associated Dermatologists in Eastern Michigan treat a variety of scars including hypertrophic, atrophic, keloid and contracture scars.
• Hypertrophic scars are raised from your skin, created by excess collagen. The raised area stays within the boundaries of the initial injury. These scars can be red in color and somewhat thick. Hypertrophic scars may diminish as the scar matures.
• Atrophic scars are depressed instead of raised from the skin. They develop when the skin is not able to regenerate tissue. Acne is the most common cause of an atrophic scar.
• A keloid is a thick scar that continues to grow and become more prominent than the original scar or wound. Keloid scars can happen after an injury or damage to your skin in the form of a cut, burn, body piercing or even surgery. This enlarged, thicker scar happens when the body produces too much collagen — a protein found throughout the body. Darker pigmented skin is more likely to develop this type of scar. Unlike other scars, keloid scars will not fade by themselves over time.
• Contracture scars scars develop when you suffer damage to an extensive area of skin, such as a burn. Contracture scars tighten as they mature, limiting your ability to move.
Before deciding on an appropriate treatment, Associated Dermatologists evaluates your scar to determine the type, how long you have had it, and to make sure there are no signs of other problems like skin cancer.
How is it treated?
Most scars can be diagnosed by a visual skin exam. The team at Associated Dermatologists sometimes sees other conditions that might look like a type of scar at first glance. To properly diagnose your scar, we may take a skin biopsy for microscopic diagnosis in our lab. Once diagnosed, we can treat scars with surgical scar revision, steroid injections or creams, silicone dressings or gels, laser therapy and cryotherapy. Schedule with one of our expert providers in Berkley, West Bloomfield, Commerce, or Novi to get a diagnosis and treatment.