Prevent a Scar

There are a lot of myths and rumors out there when it comes to scar prevention. There are also a lot of conflicting opinions about how to perform proper scar prevention. So how do you know which techniques are correct? Doing the wrong thing can make your cuts heal much slower and make your scars much more noticeable. On the other hand, if you know how to prevent a scar the correct way, you'll enjoy scar-free skin later on.

1) Take it easy with the hydrogen peroxide. After the initial wound, clean it out with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide ONE TIME. Repeated application of hydrogen peroxide to a wound will kill the newly forming skin and slow down the healing process drastically. I know it feels good to see the wound bubbling up, and you think you're killing bacteria, but you're also killing the new skin cells that are trying to form. This will prolong the healing process and make your scar worse in the end. Instead, clean it just once with hydrogen peroxide, then apply an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin. Neosporin keeps the wound moist and clean without damaging the new skin cells.

2) Keep it covered. There's a common myth out there that says you should let the cut breathe. This is actually incorrect. During the initial healing stages, you will want to keep the wound covered with an antibacterial ointment and possibly a bandage whenever possible. Keeping the wound moist and clean provides the optimal healing environment for your cut. Scabs perform a similar function, but they can easily be ripped off, which will make your scar much worse.

3) Protect from the sun. One thing that many people fail to realize about fresh scars is that they are very sensitive to the sun. Scar tissue burns much easier than regular skin and will ultimately become hyperpigmented. Exposing a scar to the sun will turn it red and eventually it will end up darker than the skin around it, making it much more visible.

There are many more important scar prevention methods that can help you escape from a wound scar-free. Proper early scar treatment and the right diet can drastically reduce scarring in a fresh wound.

Drug could prevent scars

A new healing drug has the potential to prevent unsightly surgery scars, research has shown. The drug, a synthetic cell-signalling agent, is injected under the skin at the site of the wound before and after an incision. Three trials of the treatment were conducted, and panels of volunteers and experts judged that it significantly improved the appearance of scars.

Varying doses of the drug avotermin, an artificial form of transforming growth factor beta3, were injected at the wound site both before and 24 hours after injury. These studies suggest avotermin has potential to provide an accelerated and permanent improvement in scarring. TGFbeta3 has been one of the 'holy grails' of anti-scarring therapy for some time.