Article: Silicone gel or sheeting is one of the most effective home treatments for scars. While silicone works best on fresh scars, it can also soften and reduce the appearance of older scars. For the best results, cover your scar with silicone gel or a silicone sheet for 8-24 hours a day over the course of several months. You can buy silicone gel or silicone scar sheets at most pharmacies. You can also order these treatments online. A variety of over-the-counter creams and ointments are available on the market that may be able to help reduce the appearance of scars. Follow the ingredients on the packaging carefully and talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns. Look for ointments that include ingredients such as: Retinol creams. These are particularly effective for treating acne scars. Glycolic acid. This ingredient has also been shown to be effective for reducing acne scars, especially when combined with retinoic acid. Protective or moisturizing ingredients, such as oxybenzone (a sunblock), petroleum jelly, or paraffin. Chemical peels can be helpful for scars that are not too thick or deep, such as acne scars or chicken pox scars. Ask your doctor or dermatologist about getting a medical peel done in their office. You can also buy over-the-counter peels that you can use at home. Over-the-counter peels are not usually as effective as peels done by a medical professional, but they may help reduce the appearance of light scaring. Peels containing glycolic acid or salicylic-mandelic acid may be particularly effective. If you have a deep or indented scar, a soft-tissue filler may help reduce its appearance. For this treatment, your doctor or dermatologist will inject a soft substance, such as fat or hyaluronic acid, into the tissue under the scar to fill it in. Talk to your doctor about whether this treatment might be right for you. Fillers are a temporary solution since the injected substance breaks down after a while. You may need to repeat this treatment once every 6 months. Much like chemical peels, dermabrasion is typically used to give skin a smoother surface. This treatment involves the use of a motorized wire brush. Your surgeon will use the brush to safely wear down scar tissue. The procedure is typically quick, but you will be awake and may experience some discomfort. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medications, such as aspirin and some skin care products, before the procedure. You should also avoid smoking for as long as possible both before and after the procedure. As you recover from dermabrasion, protect your skin by wearing sunscreen, cleaning the area regularly, and using ointments as recommended by your doctor to promote healing. While laser treatments can't actually get rid of a scar, they can seriously reduce its appearance and improve other complications associated with scar tissue, such as pain, itching, and stiffness. If you have a severe scar, ask your doctor about getting light or laser therapy. The effectiveness of this treatment will depend on a lot of factors, including any medical conditions you have and any medications you are currently taking. Give your doctor or dermatologist detailed information about your health before attempting laser therapy. Follow your doctor's home care instructions carefully to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment. For example, you'll need to protect the area from the sun after the treatment until it fully heals. If you have a bothersome scar and other treatments aren't working, talk to your doctor about surgical treatment options. With surgery, scars can be thinned, shortened, disguised, or even hidden in places like wrinkles and hairlines. If you choose to get surgical revision for a scar, it's important to keep your expectations realistic. This treatment may not completely eliminate the scar, and you may also need multiple procedures in order to get the best results. Not all scars are good candidates for surgical correction. Ask your doctor, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon if this treatment is a good option for you. Scar revision surgery works best on scars that are at least 12-18 months old. In this procedure, your surgeon will take a small piece of normal, healthy skin and use it to replace your scar tissue. They will cut away the scarred tissue and graft the healthy skin into its place. Ask your doctor if a punch graft is appropriate for your type of scar. The skin for the graft is typically taken from behind your ear lobe. You may need a resurfacing treatment a few weeks after the surgery to correct any differences in color and texture between the grafted skin and the skin around it. Follow your doctor's care instructions for treating your skin both before and after the surgery for the best results. In cryosurgery, your doctor will inject liquid nitrogen into the scar to freeze the scar tissue. This will cause the tissue to die and eventually fall off. You will need to treat the resulting wound carefully to ensure that it heals properly. It may take several weeks for the scar tissue to come off, and several more weeks for the area to heal. Follow your doctor's home care instructions carefully. They will show you how to dress the wound and keep it clean. Your doctor will probably also provide medications to help you manage any pain during and after the treatment. Cryosurgery may affect your skin color or pigmentation. These steroid injections help shrink and flatten tough scars. They are especially good at reducing hypertrophic scars and keloids, which are scars that result from an overly aggressive healing process. In most cases, you'll need to get cortisone injections every 4 or 6 weeks until the treatment takes effect. Ask your doctor if this treatment is a good option for you. Cortisone injections often work best when combined with other treatments, such as cryosurgery. Your doctor may combine the steroid injection with a local anesthetic to reduce pain. Cortisone injections could possibly lead to skin atrophy, skin ulcers, as well as hypo- or hyperpigmentation.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Try an over-the-counter silicone gel on fresh or older scars. Use a scar-reducing cream for small or light scars. Look into in-office or at-home chemical peels for light scarring. Ask your doctor about fillers for deep scars. Check into dermabrasion for acne scars or pox marks. Look into laser treatments for severe scars. Talk to your doctor about surgical scar revision. Ask your doctor about punch grafts for very deep scars. Check into cryosurgery for thick or raised scars. Get cortisone injections to soften hard scars.