Here’s why knowing your Fitzpatrick Skin Type is important. If you get a raised or discolored scar, you have to go through this ordeal like me. I have 2 scars that have not healed well. I’ll be testing these Scarguard MD treatments on them over the next 2 months.
1. Scarguard (on left) is for a raised scar on my ear. I hope this will flatten the scar.
The raised scar is 19 months old, so we’ll see if a treatment can make a difference now. This silicone gel scar treatment is best for new scars.
2. Scarlight (on right) is for a discolored scar on my foot. I hope this will lighten the color of the scar.
This lightening treatment contains 2% Hydroquinone as its active ingredient. Be careful about Hydroquinone if you have a darker skin tone (Fitzpatrick Type 4-6). Hydroquinone at concentrations over 2% can cause undesirable color changes on darker skin tones. It is also a controversial ingredient for its potential to cause irritation or allergy in some people. I don’t have any issues, so this treatment is fine for me.
Both bottles come with a brush (like a nail polish bottle), which makes it easy to apply the treatment on specific areas of skin.
Photos at Day 0 (Before Treatment)
Raised Scar
This scar on my ear was due to a 2 cm laceration that required stitches. The scar healed into a line. Over time, the scar became more raised and wider. This is known as hypertrophic scarring, which is a risk for Fitzpatrick Types 4-6 and some Type 3’s (me).
It is normal for a wound of this sort to slowly remodel itself over a couple years. So the hypertrophic scarring is not unusual in my skin type.
Raised scar, 5 months after injury
Raised scar, 19 months after injury. Note there is more scar tissue.
Other ear, uninjured (for comparison)
Discolored Scar
This scar was due to a minor, superficial scratch on my foot, from hitting it against a door. The scratch was so innocuous, it barely bled. But look at what it did!
The scratched healed right away (skin closed), but it led to a discolored scar. The discoloration also exceeded the initial border of the scratch, which was a line.
You can read more about this scar here and what I could’ve done to prevent the discoloration.
Discolored scar, initially a skinny line, which got wider over time.
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Do you have any recommendations for treating keloids?
Keloids are tough to treat topically, unfortunately. Most effective treatment for reducing its size is to get a steroid injection by a dermatologist.
When a scar is just beginning to form (it’s fresh), a silicone gel (like the Scarguard) can help minimize excess tissue growth.
Thanks for your reply, Rita. Unfortunately, my keloids are old – and although I’ve had steroid injections before and they do reduce initially, once I stop getting the injections, they grow back =(
I’m sorry to hear they keep growing back 🙁