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A scar refers to a permanent mark that remains on the skin after a wound heals. Scarring is, in fact, a natural part of the healing process. Whenever there is a skin injury, the body releases a protein called collagen. This collagen builds up at the site of tissue damage and helps in healing the wound. When the scar is fresh, it may appear red or pink due to increased blood flow to the area. However, the colour gradually fades and the scar turns lighter over a period of time, although it does not disappear completely. The appearance of a scar depends on several different factors like the size of the wound, its location and severity.
There can be different types of scars. A fine line scar is a result of a minor wound like a cut. It appears as a red, raised line over the skin which eventually flattens and heals. This process can take up to 2 years and leaves a visible mark on the skin. A fine line scar may also be a result of surgery. While it usually does not cause pain, it may cause mild itching. Individuals with darker skin colour are likely to have a fine line scar that is brown in colour.
A keloid scar occurs when there is excessive production of collagen at the site of the wound. Hence, the scar continues to grow even after the wound has healed. Keloid scars tend to be visibly raised above the skin and red or purple in colour when freshly formed. Later on, they may become paler. They can cause pain and restriction of movement if they are tight and near a joint.
A hypertrophic scar is also a result of excessive collagen production at the site of skin injury, but the collagen produced is not as much as in a keloid scar. These scars do not grow after the wound has healed and become flatter over a couple of years.
A pitted or sunken scar is attributed to skin conditions like acne or chickenpox and like its name, has a pitted appearance. These scars are not painful and do not grow in size but are fairly noticeable. A scar contracture is the scarring, which is often caused by burns and occurs when the skin shrinks. Stretch marks are another common type of scar which occur as a result of skin tears and are often caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy and puberty. (Read more: How to remove stretch marks)
Conventionally, scars cannot be faded completely without surgery. Though, the size of the scar can be reduced through steroid injections, which have their side effects in the long term.
Homeopathy is a widely accepted form of alternative medicine which involves the administration of natural products to heal not only disease symptoms but also the tendency of a person to suffer from certain symptoms (called miasms in homoepathy). These remedies are known to be non-toxic and free of side effects when taken in the right dosage and as per the prescription of a physician.
Homeopathic doctors take into account the medical history of the individual along with their physical and mental characteristics before prescribing a remedy to them.
In case of scarring, there are multiple homeopathic remedies which, when used early on, can help in reducing the visibility of scars. Remedies such as belladonna, silicea and graphite are known to be effective in making scars less noticeable.
