Scar Care 101

Understanding Scars
When a person sustains a minor injury, such as a scrape after a fall, a scab typically forms.  When the scab falls off, the skin may be pink or reddish in color, but over time this will fade and the skin will return to normal.  Wounds such as these only cause a partial thickness skin injury and are likely to heal without significant scarring because there is sufficient remaining skin to regenerate the surface layers.

Conversely, when a full thickness injury through the skin occurs from an accident or following surgery, the skin does not regenerate, but rather it heals with scar tissue.  Scar tissue consists of collagen, whereas skin consists of the dermis and epidermal cells.  Although scar tissue is similar to skin, it is not identical and that is why a scar can always be differentiated from regular skin.

Scars are permanent!

Skin is elastic. When lacerated, the edges of the wound pull apart. When an open wound is closed with stitches, the skin along each side of the wound is pulled together with stitches.  The skin, being elastic, tries to return to its original position. Because the healing scar tissue is only 80% as strong as natural skin, the scar will stretch and may result in a wide scar.  

In an attempt to prevent the scar pulling apart, the healing scar may thicken and bulge above the level of the surrounding skin.

Scars typically thicken for the first few months after injury occurs and then will soften and flatten over a period of a year or two.  The red color of the scar will also fade over a period of a year or two. A mature scar will usually be lighter than the surrounding skin.

The surgeon has a partial role to play in the healing of the scar. The surgeon is able to control the neatness of his or her stitching of the scar and the tension in the closure of the wound. After the wound has been stitched, the healing that occurs thereafter depends on many factors.   Some of these factors include the following:

 Patient Factors
o The patient’s genetic makeup
o Overall health
o Diet
o Smoking
o Diabetes
o Tension of the scar
o Stretching/pulling of the wound (may contribute to a wide or thick scar)

 Complications
o Separation of the wound edges
o Development of wound infection

Scar Treatments
In general, there numerous options to improve the appearance of scars:

1) Over-the-counter or prescription creams, gels, oils, ointments, and tapes
2) Dermatological interventions such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning,
        lasers, fat grafting.
3) Surgical revision.
4) Steroid or collagen injections – These injections help soften scars and may shrink them.
5) Indented scars may respond to dermal filler injections.
 

Scar Care Products 

While the wound is open, follow the treatment recommendation of your health care provider.

There are many products available on the market to improve the appearance of scars.  Wait until the wound is completely closed before beginning scar treatments.

Silicone-Based Products:
Silicone based products have been shown to improve the appearance of scars.  A study by Puri and Talwar (2009) found

that silicone produces an 86% reduction in scar texture, 84% in color improvement, and 68% reduction in scar height.  These products are available as gels and tapes.

Some advantages of using a silicone based product are the following:

      Increased skin hydration thereby facilitating the regulation of fibroblast production
         rather than collagen production. This results in a softer, flatter scar.
      Reduces itching and discomfort associated with scars.

Silicone Gels – A thin layer of a silicone based gel will dry within 4-5 minutes of application and work for 24 hours.

Silicone Based Tapes - These products come packaged as squares that can be cut into appropriate sizes to cover the scar.

Generally, patients should wear the scar strips over the scars for a number of weeks for optimal results.

Mederma:
Mederma products claim to improve the overall appearance, color, and texture of scars.  The active ingredient in this products is the common onion, or allium cepa.

Onion extract apparently reduces inflammation, inhibits bacterial growth, and regulates excessive collagen growth.  While these properties seem as though they would be effective, clinical research shows mixed results on scar products using the onion as the active ingredient.  

Bio Oil:
Bio Oil is a moisturizing oil that claims to improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tones, aging, and dehydrated skin.  Bio Oil contains plant extracts and vitamins which are mixed into an oil base.  It contains both Vitamin A and E, but the breakthrough ingredient, PurCellin Oil, is what Bio Oil claims makes the formula light and non-greasy, allowing for better absorption of the vitamins and plant extracts.

Vitamin E:
Many believe that putting vitamin E on scars will improve their appearance; however, there is a paucity of scientific evidence that supports this notion.  Vitamin E does influence the formation and arrangement of collagen fibers.

Dos and Don’ts of Scar Care
To lower the chances of developing a more noticeable scar, we recommend the following scar tips:

• Protect the scar from the sun for several months to avoid permanent darkening of the scar.
• Do not apply any scar care products until the wound is completely closed. 
• Gently massage the scar twice daily to assist your body in the remodeling process.

Vanessa Lelli, CNP
Bryan J Michelow, MD

Tanning: How to Avoid the Dangers of Skin Cancer

While a bronzed glow is desired by many, the process to achieve this look can be deadly!

Whether you are catching rays outdoors or in a tanning booth, the ultraviolet (UV) rays are hard at work causing irreversible skin damage and premature aging.

Many believe that if they tan indoors for a shorter amount of time, they are limiting their risk; however, this is not the case.  People who regularly tan indoors are actually 74% more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, when compared to those that tan outdoors only (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2015).

Tanning and Skin Cancer
Did you know that in today’s world, the risk of developing skin cancer from tanning is higher than a person developing lung cancer from smoking?

The three most common types of skin cancer are Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma.

The risk for developing skin cancer increases significantly with UV exposure (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2015).

Melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, is on the rise in young adults and has become the most common form of cancer for those 25-29 years old. In addition, it is the second most common cancer for young people 15-29 years old.  On average, a person’s risk of developing a melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five blistering sunburns (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2015).

How Do Sunless Tanners Work?
The safest way to achieve a tanned look is to use sunless tanning products.  

Sunless tanning products contain an ingredient called dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which is also known as glycerone.  Glycerone is a simple sugar, a triose, with the formula: C3H6O3. When the sugar interacts with the proteins (amino acids) that are naturally located in the outermost layer of your skin, the epidermis, it causes a chemical reaction that produces a tanned color ranging from yellow to brown.

Sunless tanning products contain DHA in concentrations ranging from 1% to 15%. Most products found in your local pharmacy range from 3% to 5%, with professional products ranging from 5% to 15%. The higher the concentration of DHA, the darker the skin color.

Lighter products are easier to obtain a more even tan but may require multiple coats to reach the desired depth of color.

Darker products produce a dark tan in a single application, but streaking may be a consequence.
The artificial tan takes 2 to 4 hours to begin appearing on the skin surface and will continue to darken for 24 to 72 hours, depending on formulation type.

Once the darkening effect has occurred, the tan will not sweat off or wash away with soap or water.

Since skin cells undergo rapid turnover and naturally slough off every 3-7 days, thus the tan will fade and will need to be repeated.  Exfoliation, prolonged water submersion, or heavy sweating can lighten the tan, as these all contribute to exfoliation of the surface skin cells that have been tinted by the sunless tanner.

Research has demonstrated that for 24 hours after sunless tanner application, the skin is especially susceptible to free-radical damage from sunlight. Therefore, it is recommended that for a day after self-tanner application, excessive sun exposure should be avoided and a sunscreen should be worn when outdoors.

An antioxidant cream may also minimize free radical production. Although some self-tanners contain sunscreen, the effect does not last long. Despite darkening of the skin, an individual is just as susceptible to harmful UV rays. A sunless tan, therefore, will not protect the skin from UV exposure.

A word of caution from a toxicologist and lung specialist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine: Inhalation of the fumes of the sunless tanners may enter the lungs and be absorbed into the body. The compounds may promote the development of cancers.

When used topically, sunless tanners have been approved by the FDA as safe.

Types of Sunless Tanners
There are many different types of sunless tanning products on the market. These products range from sprays, mousses, gels, lotions, creams, and cosmetic wipes that are available at your local drug store.

Professionally applied products include spray tanning booths and airbrush tan applications.

Common Tanning Myths 

• Tanning indoors before you go on a big vacation is good so you can get a base tan.  MYTH!

The body’s response to UV injury is a tan.  Regardless of whether you tan before or on your vacation, you are injuring your skin!  You are still at high risk of burning regardless of how tanned you are prior to your vacation.

• Tanning in a tanning bed is safer than tanning outdoors. MYTH!

Tanning beds are designed to give you significant levels of UV radiation in a much shorter time.  Tanning for 20 minutes in an indoor tanning bed is equivalent to tanning outdoors for several hours.  One indoor tanning session increases one’s risk for developing skin cancer by 20% and each additional indoor tanning session within the same year will increase your chance by an additional 2% each time (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2015).

• Tanning is a great way to get your Vitamin D. MYTH!

While getting an adequate amount of Vitamin D is important to our overall general health, there are better ways to get it than tanning! The risks of tanning, to boost vitamin D, certainly do not outweigh the benefits.

Fortunately, we don’t live in Iceland and so we usually get adequate amounts of sunshine and Vitamin D from being outdoors. The safest way to ensure adequate levels of Vitamin D is through our diet.  Foods high in vitamin D are mushrooms, mackerel, sockeye salmon, herring, sardines, catfish, tuna, cod liver oil and eggs.

A daily multivitamin with vitamin D is also recommended.    

• Can I still have a tanned torso?

The take home message is sun tanning is very dangerous.  The short term benefits of tanned skin are not worth the serious health risks that could result.  So, yes, you can be tan today, if you change your way.  Don’t delay, just change to a spray!


Vanessa Lelli, DNP, FNP-C
Bryan Michelow, MD