Keloid Scar Removal Without Surgical Excision

Every type of scar will require a special type of treatment. For the most part, all scar types can be treated effectively using surgery, however, if you're trying to treat a keloid scar then it's a bit more complicated because keloids tend to grow indefinitely and recur after surgical excision.

Fortunately, there are other forms of keloid removal that are less invasive than surgery but very effective. Depending on the size and location of the keloid you can either use one of these procedure to treat the scar or a combination of them. Here are some alternatives you can look into.

Usually the first option your doctor will give you are steroid injections. These injections help flatten scar tissue and make keloid scars less noticeable. However, the flattened keloid will still have a different feel than regular skin.

Steroid injections can be used at any time before, during, or after surgery. When injections are used in this manner, especially when undergoing keloid scar removal surgery, then keloid recurrence can be greatly hindered. The doctor will evaluate the situation and determine the best course of action.

Compression therapy is another type of treatment for keloids and raised scars. This type of treatment is one of the oldest scar removal alternatives. The compression devices and garments used are usually custom fitted and have to be worn for 24 hours a day and sometimes up to a year or more.

Other elements used, such as silicone sheets, are used to help flatten all types of scars, including keloids and other hypertrophic scars. If you are undergoing this type of treatment you should be wearing these sheets for a few hours a day for several weeks.

These sheets can often be found at your drugstore. They are very effective and a good alternative for keloid treatment. In fact, usage is quite simple. All you need to do is cut the sheet down to size so that it will fit the affected area.

Laser therapy can also be implemented as an effective keloid scar treatment. In this case, pulsed dye lasers are used to flatten keloids. In fact, the use of laser therapy has proven so beneficial that it can also help reduce the redness that is common in most keloid scars.

Smaller keloids, especially those caused by piercings, can be treated with cryotherapy. This form of treatment uses liquid nitrogen to flatten the keloids. Even though it is successful in treating keloids, cryotherapy can also make the treated area darker than the surrounding skin.

Remember that it is important that you consult with your doctor to find out what possibilities you do or don't have. If surgery is a viable option for you, then it is quite possible that it can be combined with one or more of the previously mentioned alternatives. However, if you're not willing to undergo surgery be assured that there are other less invasive alternatives out there. By: Martha Fitzharris

Scars - Home Remedies for Scars

A scar is the pinkish or brown patch of skin that grows in the place where you once had a wound or sore. They are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin tissue after destruction of some of the dermis. A scar is thus the skin's natural way of repairing itself from injury. Most people have scars.
The word scar is derived from the Greek word eschara, meaning fireplace.
Every skin injury or wound heals with a scar. The appearance of a scar however depends on the type and extent of the wound, as well as how an individual's body heals.
Scar tissue is not similar to the tissue that it replaces and is usually of inferior quality. There is no hair growth on the scar tissue, and the skin there becomes less resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
How scarring occurs?
Scarring occur when the deep dermis layer of skin is damaged. The deeper the damage, the worse the scar.
Many skin scars are pale and leave a trace of the original injury that caused them. The time that a scar takes to form may range from a few days to, in some serious and rare cases, several years. Various treatments can speed up the process in serious cases.
To repair the damage, the body has to lay down new collagen tissues As the body cannot re-build the tissue exactly as it was, the scar tissue will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding normal tissue. An injury does not become a scar until the wound has completely healed.
Factors affecting scar formation -
Many factors affect the severity of scar formation, such as -
- The size and depth of the wound.
- Location of the injury on the body.
- The blood supply to the area.
- Age of the person
- The thickness, type and colour of the person's skin.
- The direction of the scar.
Once a scar forms, it is permanent. However, it may be made less visible or displaced surgically.
Can scars be completely removed?
There is no way to remove scars completely. However, a skilled surgeon can definitely improve the appearance of the scar by disguising it, relocating it, or minimizing its prominence.
Skin colour and type, age, and the size of the scar, are important factors that go on to decide the outcome of a surgery to remove a scar.
Different types of scars respond to different plastic surgery techniques. Timing of the surgery is another important factor. The younger the scar, the more satisfactory is the result of the surgery. Therefore, if you want to have your scar removed, do not wait, until as advised by the doctor.
Types of scars -

1. Keloid scars:
Keloids are itchy clusters of scar tissue that grow beyond the edges of the wound or incision. They occur when the body continues to produce the tough, fibrous protein known as collagen after a wound has healed. They are more common in dark-skinned people.
Keloids are treated by injecting a steroid medication directly into the scar tissue to reduce redness and itching. However, the disheartening fact is that keloids have a tendency to recur, sometimes even larger than before, thus requiring repeated procedures.
2. Hypertrophic scars:
These scars, unlike keloids, remain within the limits of the original wound. They often improve on their own, though it may take a year or more. They may also require steroid applications or in some cases may have to be improved surgically.
3. Contractures:
Burns or other injuries that result in the loss of a large area of skin may form a scar that pulls the edges of the skin together, a process called contraction.
Improving a contracture usually involves cutting out the scar and replacing it with a skin graft or a flap. In some cases, a procedure known as Z-plasty may be used.
4. Facial scars:
Mostly, facial scars are cut out and closed with tiny stitches, leaving a less noticeable scar. Some facial scars can be softened using a technique called dermabrasion, that leaves a smoother surface to the skin, but does not completely erase the scar.
Scar treatment procedures -
No scar can be completely removed. They will always leave behind a trace, but a number of procedures can improve their appearance.
Surgery -
Surgery will never completely remove a scar but can be used to alter its location or shape to make it less noticeable. Surgery is at times necessary to remove a scar on skin near a joint where it restricts movement, but it will leave another scar.
Laser surgery & resurfacing -
The use of laser on scars is still on an experimental phase, as the safety or effectiveness has not yet been proven.
Steroid injections -
A course of steroid injections into the scar may help flatten and soften the appearance of keloid or hypertrophic scars.
Z-Plasty -
Z-plasty is a surgical technique used to relocate a scar so that it more closely matches to the natural creases of the skin, where it will be less noticeable. In this procedure, the old scar is removed and new incisions are made on each side, creating small triangular flaps of skin.
Skin grafting -
Grafting involves the transfer of skin from a healthy part of the body to cover the injured area. All grafts leave some scarring at the donor and recipient sites.
Make sure that your expectations from any surgery are realistic. You cannot expect that old scars will completely disappear; however, they will always turn flatter, paler and softer.
Home remedies to lessen scars -
o A mixture of sandalwood paste and black gram paste helps reduce the intensity of scars if started early.
o Rubbing your skin with ice cubes helps to tighten the skin.
o You can use cucumber and lemon juice on your scars.
o Vitamin E oil when applied on the scarred skin may do wonders for your skin.
o To prevent deepening of the scars, apply aloe vera gel, cod liver oil or vitamin E oil.
o Applying cocoa butter is also a good remedy in getting rid of the scars.
By Dr John Anne 

Trilastin Review

If you are looking into stretch mark products and the various ways to prevent and rid stretch marks from your life you may want to look into a new creme formula called Trilastin.
Trilastin first began gaining popularity after being demonstrated on the popular Tyra Banks show, generally not a common practice for products only being sold online. This is what first made me stand up and take notice and make an attempt to find out for myself what Trilastin was all about.
Basically there are a few things you want from a stretch mark removal cream. First it will be handy to give you a quick overview of exactly what a stretch mark is to allow you to notice how Trilastin works to prevent them.
Basically a stretch mark is a tear in the underlying tissue of the skin that causes an effect on the outer layers that results in an 'orange peel' look with dimples and discolouration of either white, red, or purple.
The common causes of stretch marks to which cremes like Trilastin are usually applied are from massive weight gain or loss, pregnancy or growing pains such as in adolescents.
Because the cause of a stretch mark is the underlying tissue and not surface tissue, they have always been a difficult thing to remove despite the fact that they can be embarrassing, annoying and cause self conciousnessness particularly amongst women.
This was all before cremes like the new Trilastin. Basically Trilastin is a formula that contains active ingredients that in fact penetrate the skin and actively work to repair damaged skin cells that cause the stretch marks.
Not only that but Trilastin appears to do it in a particularly effective way, using ingredients already found in lively healthful skin such as elastin and collagen. One example of which is Soy protein which contains 10 essential amino acids that work to create new skin cells and promote the development of newer more vibrant skin cells.
The big questions that we wanted to know are?
Does Trilastin work?
While results seem to vary, most users claim to see noticeable differences in stretch mark appearance within just 3-4 weeks while within 2-3 months stretch marks are more or less gone completely.
Are the results of Trilastin lasting?
Because Trilastin works on the internal repair of dead skin cells the results are said to last even after discontinued use of the creme itself. The only exception would be if after use were to cease, large weight gain or loss occurred again in which case application of Trilastin would need to continue.
Are there any side effects?
Trilastin has no side effects as it is formulated from all natural ingredients and works with your bodys own existing proteins to repair skin cells internally.
Will it work for all skin types?
Again because it works with your bodys own available resources and is based on natural ingredients, Trilastin can produce results for stretch marks occurring on any skin type.
How long will it take to see results?
Various testimonials indicate that visible results can be noticed from Trilastin within as little as 3 weeks but permanent results are likely to take up to 3-4 months to take full effect.
In conclusion it does appear for various reasons that Trilastin is an effective and affordable method for removing stretch marks and improving your skin tone. With so much talk of plastic surgery nowadays it is great to see more safe and natural alternatives to common beauty problems arising.

Gary Stephens

The Best Medication for Stretch Marks

Having stretch marks is certainly not fun, especially for women. It prohibits you from wearing revealing clothes and even your favorite swimsuit. Stretch marks really have to go, and in a very fast way at that.
Today, there are a lot of methods used to remove stretch marks. Each employs different procedures and has different requirements. The best medication for stretch marks can vary from one person to another, because the removal procedure may prove to be effective on a person with certain qualities but not with others.
To help you decide which will be the best stretch mark medication for you, here are the most common and the most popular methods:
1. Dermabrasion. Dermabrasion is a surgical procedure to remove the unwanted marks off your body. First, the skin is frozen for sometime. Then a special instrument is used to smoothen the skin. The procedure constitutes of sanding the skin to reveal a new layer of the skin. Only a dermatologist surgeon can perform this procedure.
2. Chemical Peels. With a chemical peeling procedure, a specialized chemical formula is applied onto the skin. The solution will cause the skin to erupt then peel off. Once it does, new skin comes out which is definitely smoother when compared to the old skin.
3. Laser stretch mark removal. With this procedure, a laser beam is directed to the skin all around the stretch mark. Then it focuses on the stretch marks it self by slowly removing the thin layers of the scarred skin. The procedure is done repeatedly until the entire area is removed. That area will eventually heal as the new layer of skin forms.
4. Stretch Mark Removal Creams and Lotions. If you do not want to subject yourself to surgical or laser procedures, you can settle for the lotions and creams. These are always available over-the-counter and can be bought without any prescription. The effectiveness of these creams depends entirely on its manufacture.
5. Diet. Do you know that diet can actually help heal stretch marks? Try to drink plenty of water. Water makes the skin smooth and soft. With a skin like this, stretch marks are not likely to develop. Cut of coffee instead. It contains substances that can induce the appearance of stretch marks on the skin. Also consume food rich in vitamins, zinc, and protein. Nutritional deficiency can also produce stretch marks.
6. Exercise. For a firmer skin and a healthier body, exercise is the key. Stretch marks can be reduced if a good workout routine is performed regularly. With a fine, solid frame, stretch marks are not likely to develop.
Stretch marks can be caused by pregnancy. Your tummy expands to accommodate the baby. When the baby comes out and your body is back to its normal shape, stretch marks appear. There are ways to prevent stretch marks from appearing, but you have to consult with your doctor first, before heading on to it. Aside from surgery, stretch marks can also come from gaining weight or losing it.
The method of removing, or preventing stretch marks for that matter, should be a perfect match of how the marks came about, what your skin tone is, your physical condition, as well as your personal preferences. Overall, the best medication for stretch marks should be the best match for you.

Low Jeremy