When we get an injury to the skin, the skin is remarkable at healing itself, but the healing process often leaves a scar. At a doctor’s office, Scar Treatment in Minneapolis, MN depends on the appearance of the scarring that a patient has. A patient may have scarring due to acne, and there are differing levels of severity for acne scars. Some patients have deep pitting in the face while others have . The patient may have the raised tissue of a hypertrophic scar, or a keloid scar, which is like a hyertrophic scar in that it is raised, but it is also thick, covers a wider area than the trauma site, and can be itchy.
For elevated scars, Scar Treatment in Minneapolis, MN varies by patient and the type of scarring. Some of the thicker scars respond to steroid injections which are injected into the scar tissue. Other scars are treated by pressing silicone sheets over the scar. Many cosmetic treatments for elevated scars is done with dermabrasion, which delicately grinds away the top layer of skin, laser resurfacing or a laser peel that uses pulses of a laser beam to remove the outer layer of skin with heat, or chemical peels.
Not all scars are raised. Some, like the deep pitting some acne sufferers have, are depressed scars. For depressed Scar Treatment in Minneapolis, MN, the patient and doctor may choose to use fillers. Cosmetic Fillers using gel filler or collagen, just like the kind that can be used to fill in lines and wrinkles, can be used on scars that are depressed to raise the area of depression so that it more closely matches the surrounding skin.
For all of these treatments, patients may not be able to wear makeup for awhile. They will need to keep the area clean according to the instructions from the clinic in order to prevent infection. After laser resurfacing, the patient will need to keep the area moisturized, and the clinic can advise what creams or ointments would be acceptable. Patients will also need to stay out of the sun during the healing process.
