Scars are the result of the healing process that the skin undergoes when it attempts to repair a wound. Scars vary in shape, color and composition. Some scars are pale and flat, while others are dark in color and appear raised. Hypertrophic scars are raised, and appear red or dark in color.
When a wound damages the skin, the type of scarring depends on the extent of the injury. Superficial injury only affects the outermost layer of skin, called the epidermis, and such injury results in minimal scarring. If the injury penetrates deeper than the epidermis, to the underlying dermis, the damage is more severe, and the scarring is more pervasive.
Tissue beneath the epidermis heals by forming collagen fibers. Collagen is a protein produced in the body. Collagen formation is what causes a noticeable scar.
Hypertrophic scars are thick and dark in color. They encompass only the site of the original wound, but can continue to develop and thicken for up to six months. Some people tend to develop hypertrophic scars more readily than others. Hypertrophic scars appear more frequently in young people and people with dark skin, although that does not diminish their appearance in older people, and people of all skin types.
Hypertrophic scars may be difficult for patients not only because of their appearance, but because they feel itchy and uncomfortable. Hypertrophic scars can become thick enough to impinge movement, particularly if they are near a joint.
Many treatments are available to lessen the visibility of hypertrophic scars, and alleviate uncomfortable itching and skin stiffness. These treatments range from surgical procedures to remove scars, to therapies like cryotherapy and radiation, to less invasive methods to minimize a scar's appearance.
Patients who prefer minimally invasive methods to reduce the appearance and symptoms of scars may choose to use silicone gel sheets. Silicone gel sheets are semi-occlusive sheets that seal moisture into the scar tissue and reduce scar tissue and pigmentation. Silicone gels sheets are advantageous to patients because they are cost-effective, and easy to apply, handle and maintain. Silicone gel sheet scar therapy changes a dark, raised scar to a flatter, pale one in just a few months.
