Hi, this website is to help anyone who is looking for advice on how to hide scars or reduce there appearance. Having a scar on your face or a prominent part of your body can be very distressing in this world where appearance is so important. That is why many people opt for plastic surgery and laser treatment. But there is also other ways.There are plenty of make up products that can hide scars such as Dermablend,whether they are acne scars  or scars caused in accidents. Also if its a new scar there are products like Aloe Vera which can make the scar heal better and improve the appearance. On this Blog we hope to inform you about the many things you can do to help yourself,weather its to conceal the scar using camouflage make up or to stop the scar forming using gels and vitamins.

How scars are formed

Scars are formed when the dermis is cut or injured.The dermis is a deep layer of sensitive skin and when this is damaged the body produces collagen fibres which repair the wound. When the wound is healed a scar is formed. Sometimes the body can produce too much collagen and the scars can become raised,these are called keloid and Hypertrophic scars. These scars are more common in children and dark skinned people. Acne and chicken pox can also cause small scars but most can easily be hidden with make up. Although scars form when the body is repairing itself the skin quality is not as good as unscarred skin. It can no longer produce hair follicles or sweat glands.

Around six years ago I was involved in a minor car accident. Although I wasn’t badly hurt I did receive some small scaring on my face around my eyes and on my nose. They are not large scars but they are in a prominent positions and I was constantly being asked about how I came about them which left me feeling a little paranoid about my appearance. After consulting a Doctor and then a surgeon about having scar revision they told me that surgery probably wouldn’t improve them and could even make them worse. So I decided that I would just going to have to live with them.
Around a year after this I was working on a construction site whenI met a guy who told me about how he hides his tattoo’s before job interviews with camouflage make-up. I asked him if he thought I could use the same concealer to hide the scars on my face he said he was confidant that it could.
Being a man I wasn’t really happy about wearing make up but I still went ahead with buying a small jar of the concealer which is called Dermablend which I learnt is used by actors and is specifically produced to hide scars and skin blemishes. I also needed a setting powder which is used to seal the make up in place.
It was easy to apply. first you remove a small amount from the jar with the tips of your fingers and warm on the palm of your hand. You then dab it on the scars area using a sponge and then seal it with setting powder. Wait three minutes allowing the powder to set. Then lightly brush away the excess powder.
I’ve been using Dermablend for over two years now and nobody has asked about my scars or noticed I was wearing make-up and it lasts all day too.

• Scar formation can be a normal part of the healing process
• In some cases scar tissue formation can be excessive
• The two types of excessive scar tissue formation are known as keloid and hypertrophic scarring
• Keloid scarring tends to overgrow the boundary of the initial injury, and can be itchy and painful. Keloids usually don’t get better with time. Surgical revision of keloid scars can make them worse
• Hypertrophic scarring tends to remain within the boundary of the initial injury, and get better over time.
• Darker skin types are more likely to develope keloid scars
• Keloid scars be be treated with a combination of laser, cortisone/5FU injections, and sometimes surgical excision with adjunctive treatments
• Hypertrophic scars can also be treated with laser, cortisone/5FU injections and also surgical revision.

Keloid scars

The body’s skin naturally heals itself when it is damaged. This healing process can cause scars to appear.

If the skin is broken , the body produces more of a protein called collagen. The collagen grows around the damaged skin and then builds up helping the wound to seal . The resulting scar tends to pull tight and flatten and then fades over time. Unfortunately Keloid scars continue to grow invading the surrounding undamaged skin and can become bigger than the original wound.

There are many kinds of common skin injury’s that could lead to keloid growth such as :injections, insect bites, burns, acne, chicken pox,surgery, ear piercing, lacerations, abrasions, tattooing, vaccinations, injections, folliculitis/ingrown hairs, and shingles. Their appearance is of a raised, often purple/red coloured scar that can have a solid consistency. Removing the scar is one treatment option, however this could make the scar worse i.e. the probability that the resulting surgery scar will also become a keloid is high, usually greater than 50%. Laser treatment has also been used with varying degrees of success.

Although anyone can have a keloid scar form some ethnic groups are at more risk of developing them than others. Keloid scars are seen 15 times more in highly pigmented ethnic groups rather than Caucasians.

Below is a photo of a typical keloid scar.

Can you prevent keloid scars?

Unfortunately there’s little you can do if you have the type of skin that forms keloid scars only to follow the usual routine of keeping the wound clean.If you believe you may be susceptible because of previous experience or a family connection then you can avoid taking extra risks. Do not have piercing or tattoos and make sure you tell your doctor if you are going to have surgery that you may be at risk of developing keloid scars .

Treatment for keloid scars

There is no guaranteed method for getting rid of a keloid scar but there are several types of treatment that can be tried.

• Kelo-cote-advanced gel:Recommended by Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons, used by the NHS’ Kelo-cote is a new product which has excellent reviews. A patented topical silicone gel for the management and prevention of abnormal scars in the form of hypertrophic scars and keloids.
• Surgery: This is risky, because cutting a keloid can trigger the formation of a similar or even larger keloid. Some surgeons achieve success by injecting steroids or applying pressure dressings to the wound site after cutting away the keloid. Radiation after surgical excision has also been used.
• Laser: The pulsed-dye laser can be effective at flattening keloids and making them look less red. Treatment is safe and not very painful, but several treatment sessions may be needed. These may be costly, since such treatments are not generally covered by insurance plans.
• Silicone sheets: This involves wearing a sheet of silicone gel on the affected area for several hours a day for weeks or months, which is hard to sustain. Results are variable. Some doctors claim similar success with compression dressings made from materials other than silicone.
• Cryotherapy:  Freezing keloids with liquid nitrogen may flatten them but often darkens the site of treatment.
• Interferon: Interferons are proteins produced by the body’s immune systems that help fight off viruses, bacteria, and other challenges. In recent studies, injections of interferon have shown promise in reducing the size of keloids, though it’s not yet certain whether that effect will be lasting. Current research is underway using a variant of this method, applying topical imiquimod(Aldara), which stimulates the body to produce interferon.
• Fluorouracil: Injections of this chemotherapy agent, alone or together with steroids, have been used as well for treatment of keloids.

Below is a photo of large keloid scarring.

Below some links to more information on keloid scars.

• Keloid Scars Best Scar Treatment | Blmnm Lil Chmbr – Keloid Scars Best Scar Treatment You may have trusted what your doctor predicted. He said scars fade naturally over time. Yours didnt. Now what? You ask.
• Many People Do Suffer From Acne Scars | Health For World – Keloid scars tend to “run in families”-that is, abnormal growth of scar tissue is more likely to occur in susceptible people, who often are people with relatives who have similar types of scars. Hypertrophic and keloid scars persist for …
• The treatment of keloid scars – treatment and disposal of keloid … – Image : http://www.flickr.com Keloids are scars on a regular basis, and serious when it pain you should consult with your doctor as keloids risk of infection.
• Keloid Scars Best Scar Treatment – Keloid Scars Best Scar Treatment. You may have trusted what your doctor predicted. He said scars fade naturally over time. Yours didnt. Now what? You ask your doctor whats the best scar treatment . He talks about something called scar …
• How to Effectively Treat Keloid Scars | acnescarscream.com – Keloid scars are produced by the human body attempting to fix itself out of cases that include acne, ear piercing, burns, surgical cuts, chickenpox, and vaccination sites. Younger women are considered to have a substantial rate of …
• How Keloid Scars Are Treated Without Incisive Treatments – After an injury when the pain begins to subside, one of the first things we think about is whether it will leave a scar. Sometimes the injuries that cause scars are out of our control, for example, acne breakouts or accidents…
• Over The Counter Acne Scar Treatments, Part 1 | Acne Articles – Keloid scars: These are elevated scars which are beyond your boundaries of the original trauma. Your scar tissue formation went out of control in these cases. Organic Acne Scar Treatments. Apple Cider Vinegar for Scarred tissues …

 Some people as they get older can develop white fatty looking,slightly raised plaques under the skin around the eyes.They look like fat which is exactly what they are,They are collections of cells called histiocytes, bulging with fat (usually cholesterol). They appear gradually and are not sore or itchy but they are unsightly.The medical term for these is ‘Xanthelasma’ (pronounced zan-th-laz-m) and it is not dangerous.People can develop Xanthelasma if they have high cholesterol in there blood but this is not always the case and some people are just unlucky.Xanthelasma can be surgically removed(this operation is no longer done on the NHS because its considered cosmetic) or burned off with laser treatment but this can be very expensive and for 40% of the people who have surgery it comes back,this is more likely if you have Xanthelasma above and below both eyes or have high cholesterol. If you don’t like the idea of surgery the best thing to do is hide it with a good camouflage make up like Dermablend or Dermacolor.

Below is a video of how Xanthelasma can be concealed using Camouflage make up

 Below is some Links with more information about Xanthelasma.

• Symptoms of High Cholesterol – Be Aware of the Danger Signs – However, in very rare cases, you can have something called xanthelasma. If you have xanthelasma, it is absolutely definite you have the high level of cholesterol. Xanthelasma is cholesterol deposits which are manifested as yellow …

• xanthelasma | Home Remedies Discussion Forum – xanthelasma. what is the remedy for xanthelasma. Is there any treatment in ayurveda and homeopathy. In: Cholesterol · Share. By: seema manaktala Level Rating 2points. Answers No Answers yet, be the first to Answer! …

• Xanthelasma – Premium Vitamins and Herbal Remedies – Herbal Freak – Skin conditions resulting from errors in metabolism are caused by enzymatic defects that lead to an accumulation or deficiency of various cellular components, including, but not limited to, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids.

• What Is Xanthelasma | Causes And Treatment For Xanthelasma – Xanthelasma are painless blemishes composed of fatty material appearing usually outside the upper eyelid. Xanthelasma are mostly flat, elliptical, and yellowish. Causes include high cholesterol level and excessive lipids in the blood …

Its designed to treat all kind of scars like Keloid,burns and Hypertrophic. Unlike traditional silicone gel sheets, Kelo-Cote is very easy to use, and is free of the limitations associated with gel sheets, such as the difficulty of usage on the face and joints. For people with Keloid and Hypertropic scars this gel has beenrecommened by surgeons and will help flatten and smooth the scar, while also maintaining the moisture balance and elasticity of the surrounding skin.

For those looking for an easy way to reduce scarring, Kelo-Cote is a new advancement in scar treatment and can be used to treat scars as soon as skin is closed, or when stitches are removed.

Kelo-cote® should be used to help, treat, reduce, prevent and soften the following types of scars:

• Keloid scars
• Hypertrophic scars
• Burn scars
• Plastic surgery scars
• Breast augmentation scars
• Breast reduction scars
• Breast implant scars
• Tummy tuck scars
• Caesarian section scars
• Mastectomy scars
• Hysterectomy scars
• Body contouring scars
• Body piercing scars
• Cleft lip scars

Technorati Tags: Keloid scars, scar gel, scar treatment

 

Mederma is a trusted and well known brand with products to help minimize the appearance of scars. Many people develop stretch marks when there body grows/put on weight. Women in pregnancy also can develop stretch marks over the tummy area,hips,back of legs and they can really become unsightly. Although i believe that you can never turn the clock back and have the type of body that you had when you was young there are products that can dramaticly improve the appearance of stretch marks. Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy was recommended to a girl friend of mine who had quite a few stretch marks from when she had a baby two years age. She figured she would either see a minimal improvement, or nothing at all. The directions are to apply twice daily in the affected areas, like your behind, legs,hips, arms, and abdomen. In clinical tests, best results were achieved with 12 weeks of consistent use, with signs of a noticeable improvement after 4 weeks.

She applied the product once in the evening before bedtime and then again first thing in the morning. At around the fith week of doing this, she noticed some of the redness had lightened and also some softening of the lines. By week eight the redness had almost vanished and there was a vast improvement of the appearance of the stretch marks and elasticity of the skin in her treated areas. On the tenth week she stopped using the product because she was more than happy with the results.

ingredients include onion bulb extract, hyaluronic acid, and soy protein.

Treatment for Stretch Marks  

Unfortunately stretch marks are permanent in the sense that the skin in these areas will never be completely normal but after time they will shrink down to much smaller thin white scars.

• Mederma stretch mark therapy is a new product which has some great reviews. It claims to greatly improve the appearance of stretch marks after treating the affected areas over a twelve week period.
• Cocoa butter cream which is sold in pharmacies might be worth a try because its recommended to soften scars.  
• Collagen creams claim that they will help reduce stretch marks but there is no evidence for this.In fact collagen put onto the surface of skin can’t penetrate to the deeper layers.
• Derma Rollers also claim they can significantly reduce stretch marks and many consultants agree with this because the micro needles on the roller can penetrate the outer layers of skin.
• Laser Treatment can be used early when the stretch marks are still red. They can get rid of the red colour and speed up the contracting process but its uncertain it will make any difference in the long run and because of its cost I couldn’t recommend it.                                              

The patches, which come in a pack of 21, are designed to be worn daily for at least 12 hours over eight to ten weeks, the time period required for optimal healing.”Research has found the patches effective on all surgical and non-surgical scars which remain red or raised after the healing process is completed, no matter how old the scar is,” says Jenny Wild, clinical manager at Elastoplast.Exactly why the patches are so effective isn’t fully understood, but increasing heat and moisture around scar tissue appears to trigger the healing process.”Raising the temperature beneath the skin is thought to boost the action of enzymes involved with tissue repair,”Jenny explains.”The heat also boosts circulation and oxygen supply to the area, which aids healing and reduces redness. The scars are thought to flatten out because the slight pressure the patch exerts on the skin reduces the production of excess collagen.”Dr John English, dermatologist at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, says the patches should be particularly useful for anyone with scars on their chest or back.”The chest, shoulders and back are prone to lumpy scars, which can take a few years to settle down,’ he explains. “This patch can speed up this process.”Also, if applied early enough, it might stop the scar from becoming as raised.”Vitally, the patches, which are sold at Boots and many outlets over the internet, should help thousands of people whose self-image has suffered because of visible and unsightly marks.”Raised, reddened markings, particularly on the face, can cause tremendous psychological damage, especially in young women,” says Dr David Lewis, a psychologist who runs a research consultancy in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.”People with scars often imagine they’re ten times worse than they actually are – they can really damage confidence, making a person feel self-conscious, shy and depressed.’Scar reduction patches could be of tremendous value to these people, he adds.”Anything that reduces the appearance of unsightly marks would give people with scars more self-confidence, and these patches will certainly help,” says Dr Lewis.For Anna, the effect of the patches has been nothing short of miraculous. “In the years after my heart operation, the scar made me feel terribly self-conscious.Even though it faded slightly, the scar remained dark pink and raised.”"It runs from just above my belly to just below my collarbone so, unless I wear polo-necks, people can always see it.”In my teens, I felt people stared at my scar all the time. I never wore strappy tops like other girls and always wore swimsuits rather than bikinis. Other people don’t think twice about the clothes they put on, but I do. And they never get stared at because of something strange about the way they look.”Since she wore the patches at the beginning of the year, Anna’s scar has become barely visible. “I wore patches for 12 hours a day for ten weeks and I’m really quite amazed,” says Anna.”I really didn’t expect them to work, but after three weeks the colour began fading. By ten weeks, all the extra pigmentation had gone and the scar is now the same colour as my skin. It’s also much less raised – while it’s a little bumpy at the top, the rest is flat.”Basically, there’s been an improvement of 70 percent, which is a thousand times better than I’d ever have imagined. I feel so much better about the way I look, I’ve bought a whole new set of summer clothes.”