Scars
Posted 10/13/2011
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We all have scars. The ones on our skin are the ones that can be seen, but it is the psychological ones that are usually more painful. They are also more difficult to manage, and this entry is about the exterior ones. Whether your scars are a small half moon under your arm, on your breast, or a larger ones related to a mastectomy and/or reconstruction, you may wish that there were less visible. As we all know, time helps the most. Scars that look red and angry the first few months gradually fade to very pale. This is an article from Cure Today about their management. Per usual, I give you the introduction and then a link.
But, before that, let me remind you of the marvelous line from a Carly Simon song: "It takes a really big man to love a really big scar."
Skin Deep
BY LACEY MEYER
Scars can be managed and minimized.
Scars may be reminders of obstacles overcome, but can become one more challenge for the healthcare team to tackle.
Scars are fibrous tissue that replace normal skin during the healing process; however, when scars become enlarged, red, itchy and painful, they can negatively affect quality of life and physical function. A slight derailment in the wound-healing process, such as excessive connective tissue cells and overproduction of collagen, can result in abnormal scarring, such as keloid and hypertrophic scars.
Hypertrophic scars, which typically develop within a month of surgery, are raised, red or pink, and sometimes itchy. Keloid scars appear as firm nodules that extend beyond the margins of the original wound and are often itchy and painful. Unlike hypertrophic scars, keloids may develop months or years after surgery and continue to grow over time.
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/1698
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