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Helping to improve your skin's appearance and make-up.
Your burned or scarred skin can be cared for...
What does your skin need?
Regeneration
SCAR
Nourishment and Regeneration
POST BURN
The Skin and Scars
What you need to know...
The Skin
Skin: the mirror of life
At a size of 1.5 to 2 square metres, the skin is the human body’s largest organ. It has the greatest number of nerves and accounts for up to 20% of your body weight. It performs various complicated bodily functions such as regulating heat, protecting the body against infections and environmental influences, and preventing it from drying out.
It is therefore extremely important that it can function properly, yet your skin is much more than “just” an organ: skin is our contact with the outside world and is an indispensable communication tool in social relationships. All types of touches are sensed by the skin’s surface and it is a means of perceiving and expressing sensations and feelings. We don’t refer to skin as the “mirror of life” for nothing. Many changes in your body, your personal lifestyle and mood as well as hormone fluctuations become visible in your skin.
Structure
The structure of skin is complicated. It is the same at every point, comprising three layers (epidermis, dermis
and subcutis) that all have different functions. The thickness of the skin differs depending on the area of the body. The skin on your face or the back of your hand is much thinner than that on your thigh, for example.
Epidermis
Epidermis: protection and immune organ
Despite being very thin, the top layer of the skin (epidermis in Latin) acts as the body’s protective shield. The epidermis is the layer that people perceive as skin. It is responsible for protecting the body from various external influences such as UV rays or pollutants. An intact epidermis stops microorganisms like bacteria from getting into your body and prevents your body from drying out. The epidermal cells constantly renew themselves and have a life cycle of approximately one month, when they die and detach themselves from the skin’s surface layer.
Dermis
Dermis: network and transport system
Attached to the epidermis, the dermis is situated directly beneath. It is thicker than the outer layer of skin and is very strong, elastic and tear-resistant owing to its collagen and elastin fibres. Unlike the epidermis, this layer comprises nerve cells, blood and lymph vessels. Among other things, the dermis is responsible for sensing touches such as stroking, pressure, pain, temperature or even itching. The blood vessels in the dermis also regulate the skin’s heat.
Subcutis
Subcutis: the skin’s fat storage
The subcutis primarily consists of fatty tissue, which stores energy, protects the body against the cold and acts as padding. This skin layer varies in thickness depending on where it is in the body. The body’s hair roots, sebaceous and sweat glands can also be found in the subcutis.
The Scarring Process: Why do scars form?
Every injury leaves behind marks in the form of scars. If an injury is only superficial or minor, these scars are often barely noticeable. If a large section of the skin is affected
or the injury extends to the deep layers of the skin, this can lead to very distinct scars and major hindrances in day-to-day life. Each patient deals with thei scars differently, with the story behind the scars playing a great role. The aim of scar therapy is not just to recover movement, but also to restore aesthetics. Be they large or small, scars can have a major effect on a person’s quality of life. Every scar can therefore be treated to have the greatest possible influence on the quality of the scar.
Formation of Scars
If our skin is damaged as a result of accidents, surgeries or illnesses, our organism tries to repair it, but often does not achieve the same level of functionality as before the injury. This is only possible if there are no other accompanying illnesses that could impede the skin’s repair. In the case of superficial injuries that only affect the epidermis, wounds can heal completely without leaving any marks (epithelial wound healing). These types of injuries to the epidermis include sun burns or also superficial abrasions. If deeper layers of skin are affected, such as in the case of surgeries etc., scars are formed after the various stages of wound healing. The wound healing process depends on the type, size and depth of a wound.
The Wound Healing Phases of a Scar
In order to understand how scars are formed in the final stage of wound healing, it can help to take a closer look at the wound healing process.
1. Cleaning phase
The blood clotting process begins immediately after the skin is injured. The body tries to stop the bleeding
and at the same time remove germs and bacteria from the wound or prevent them from entering. This stage can last up to three days.
2. Granulation phase
A few days after the injury, the body starts to rebuild vessels and tissue (granulation tissue) with the aim of closing the wound as quickly as possible.
3. Repair stage
The last stage – closing the wound at the epidermis – starts between five and ten days after the wound was sustained. Scars start to form during the last stage of wound healing. The repair phase can span out over several weeks or months.
Sometimes, the scars formed in the repair stage do not just give rise to an aesthetic problem. Due to thickening,
shrinkage and hardening of the skin, it has less elasticity at the scarred sites.
Factors Affecting Scar Quality
No two scars are the same. If you were to monitor the healing of two identical wounds on different people, the resulting scars would not be exactly the same. A scar, and its appearance and development, depends on all manner of factors – some of which can be influenced.
Mobilisation
Depending on the type and severity of the injury leading to the scarring, passive mobilisation by a therapist may be necessary at first. Mobilising the scar and the surrounding areas increases circulation and makes the connective tissue looser, softer and more supple, improving the quality of the scar.
Avoiding the sun
Fresh scars should never be directly exposed to the sun, otherwise they may darken. You should always be sure to cover yourself with sun-protective clothing or compression garments and/or sun cream.
Compression therapy
Wearing compression garments every day has a positive effect on the quality of a scar and can support healing and prevent an overgrowth of scarring tissue.
Silicone products and ointments
Using silicone products and special ointments has a positive effect on scar tissue. They keep it moist, supple and can support healing.
Factors we cannot influence
Location
Scars on parts of the body that are often moving are constantly under strain. The continuous tension can lead to the development of undesirable scar formations.
Age
Wound healing is often impaired in elderly people, owing to a change in skin structure. It is less elastic, there are fewer layers of fat and blood supply decreases. Children and young people tend to have thicker, raised scars as there is often an overproduction of new connective tissue.
Skin thickness
Thicker skin forms more visible and distinct scars. Skin thickness starts to increase in childhood and then decreases again from the age of 65.
Skin type and origin
People of African or Asian descent are prone to scarring and an overgrowth of scar tissue resulting from an excessive production of new connective tissue.
Other illnesses
Accompanying illnesses or pre-existing conditions (impaired circulation, diabetes, etc.) negatively affect scarring.
What Types of Scar Are There?
Depending on the injury and subsequent wound healing, different types of scars may form that vary in their appearance and manifestation.
Hypertrophic scars
Raised, reddened or even bulging scars are referred to as hypertrophic scars. They arise when there is an excessive production of new connective tissue, which results in prominent and thick scars. They grow quickly within the original wound area, in other words they don’t develop uncontrollably.
Hypertrophic scars can spontaneously regress over a longer period of time, which tailored scar therapy
can support. The most common cause of hypertrophic scars are tensile forces at play when the wound is healing. This is especially the case for joints.
Keloid scars (keloids)
Like hypertrophic scars, keloids also develop due to an overgrowth of scar tissue. With keloids, however, the scar grows beyond the borders of the wound area and sometimes even continues to grow after the wound has healed. The growth can also start months later, which is a result of uncontrolled and intense growth of connective tissue.
Although the excessive growth stops after some time, the keloid that was formed never recedes. The area is reddened or darker than the rest of the skin and can feel itchy or painful.
A keloid can even reappear after being surgically removed. Scar therapy, which sometimes combines various different treatment methods to achieve long-term positive results, is therefore important.
Atrophic scars
Unlike the two types of scars mentioned above, atrophic scars consist of sunken recesses and the scar is lower than the surrounding skin.
Not enough new connective tissue is produced to completely fill out the wound again. Atrophic scars are formed when wounds, such as acne, heal badly and they can often be found in the facial area.
What does your skin need?
Regeneration
SCAR
Nourishment and Regeneration
POST BURN