Scars

A scar is left on your body following damage to the surface of the skin once it has healed.

Injuries like cuts and burns will leave scars. Diseases where the symptoms damage your skin, such as chickenpox or acne, can also leave scars.

Scar signs and symptoms:
Whenever you damage your skin, scars will form once the skin has repaired. Scarring may not be obvious after very small injuries.

Once a scar has formed it is permanent, however they may fade if they aren’t too deep. Scars will fade for up to two years after forming, after this period it is unlikely to fade any more.

Scars do not always form the same way and differ in appearance. Your skin will normally recover and leave flat, pale scars. In rare cases your scars will be raised, appear red and be itchy and painful. These raised scars called hypertrophic scars are more common among young adults and children.

If you suffer from acne you may develop scars that appear shrunken or pitted and will vary depending on the severity of your acne.

Lifestyle tips:
It isn’t possible to remove a scar from your skin. But there are various treatments to reduce their visibility and methods to camouflage the scars.

Cleaning a wound as soon as possible, keeping it covered and not picking at scabs will all help to stop nasty scars forming.

Various creams and gels are available from pharmacies or with a prescription from your doctor. These attempt to make the appearance of your scars more subtle, or to stop itching. Your doctor may recommend you use pressure dressings or gel sheets depending on the type of injury or scar.

For scars that cover a large area of your body cosmetic camouflage may be the most suitable treatment. Make-up that is selected to best match your skin tone by specialist practitioners. This make-up can be applied every day or just for special occasions. It is also waterproof so you don’t have to worry about having to reapply if you have a shower or bath.

Diet tips:
Although you can’t eat your way into making your wounds heal quicker, making sure your intakes of protein, zinc, iron, vitamin A and C are good will minimise scarring.

Protein is especially important for healing any wound as it is essential to creating new blood cells and collagen. Red meat, poultry and fish are excellent sources of protein. 

Protein is the source of collagen, but it’s production in the body is dependent on having enough vitamin C. Fresh citrus fruit is the best source of the vitamin but strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach are also high in vitamin C. 

Akoma recommends:
To help scars fade, it’s recommended to use products that penetrate the three layers of your skin: the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.

Akoma Shea Butter is unrivalled for treating deep set skin issues like scars. This is because of its high count of principal fatty acids which increases its levels of vitamin A and E.

These vitamins keep your skin protected and supple, which are two key factors that help scars fade.

The high antioxidant count in shea butter also helps your skin’s natural repair systems so if new scars appear, your skin will work quickly to help them fade.

We also recommend Akoma Coconut Oil as a deep moisturiser. Coconut Oil helps reduce the scars and helps to prevent them in future. It can also be used all over the body to smooth other damaged areas of skin.