Scarring

Scars form when the dermis layer of our skin is damaged. The body forms new collagen fibres (a naturally occurring protein molecule in the body) to mend the damage, resulting in a scar. The new scar tissue will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding tissue. Therefore scar formation is a natural part of the healing process after injury.

Factors that include how a skin will scar are;

• Depth, size and location of the wound
• Age of a person and therefore how quickly their skin may heal or respond to a wound
• Sex or ethnicity i.e. darker skin types scar with a further darkening
• Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH)
• Nutritional Status
• Infection