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Summary
A scar is a permanent patch of skin that grows over a wound. It forms when your body heals itself after a cut, scrape, burn, or sore. You can also get scars from surgery that cuts through the skin, infections like chickenpox, or skin conditions like acne. Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder, or shinier, than the rest of your skin.
How your scar looks depends on:
- How big and deep your wound is
- Where it is
- How long it takes to heal
- Your age
- Your inherited tendency to scar
Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely. If the way a scar looks bothers you, various treatments might minimize it. These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.
Treatments and Therapies
- Chemical Peels (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Dermabrasion (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Laser Resurfacing (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Proper Wound Care: How to Minimize a Scar (American Academy of Dermatology)
- Scar revision - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Scar Revision: Understanding Facial Scar Treatment (American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)
- Skin smoothing surgery - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Scars and Wounds (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Acne Scars: Overview (American Academy of Dermatology)
- Keloids (American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Keloids and Hypertrophic Scars (American Osteopathic College of Dermatology)
Images
- Before and After Photos: Treatment of Hypertrophic Scars (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Keloid (VisualDX)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cicatrix
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- American Academy of Dermatology
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
- Find a Dermatologic Surgeon (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Find a Dermatologist (American Academy of Dermatology)
-
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Also in Spanish
Children
- Scars (for Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Can Acne Scars Be Removed? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Stretch Marks (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Dermabrasion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Keloids (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Scar revision (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.