Wounds and burns and their resulting scars are a part of life. Normally, a small woundto the top layer of your skin heals nicely. New skin forms as the wound heals. For some of us, scars from small wounds provide a promt for a fond childhood story or memory and are not bothersome.
With deeper wounds (into the dermis layer and lower), your body responds by making collagen to repair the wound. Collagen is thicker than the rest of your skin. This thicker, less flexible tissue becomes a scar. While most scars are flat, when your body makes extra collagen around a wound that results in a raised scar.
Raised scars from deep wounds can lead to social discomfort and self-consciousness. Sometimes a raised scar may even effect motion and mobility. It is not uncommon to view scars, whether from a skin condition, accident or surgery as embarrassing or emotionally upsetting. Sometimes, wounds and scars require a little extra help to heal properly and specially formulated medications can help.
Hypertrophic Scars
Hypertrophic scars are deep scars result from surgery, burns and other types of traumas (e.g., wounds that became infected during the healing process, severe acne). Hypertrophic scars are not dangerous or life-threatening. They are mainly a cosmetic (physical appearance) issue. However, hypertrophic scars can cause pain or itching. Also, if they form over a joint, they can limit your movement so you may want to have them treated.
Hypertrophic scars are easy to recognize. They include:
- Hard or thickened raised tissue over your wound site.
- Pink to red to purple skin color over your wound site.
- Scar appears most commonly on the upper trunk of your body – your back, chest, shoulders, upper arms – and skin that covers your joints.
- Scar develops one to two months after injury.
- Scar may cause irritation, itching, tenderness and/or pain.
- Scar on your skin over a joint may limit your joint’s normal movement.
Keloid Scars
A keloid scar is large, often reddish in appearance, and results from an overproduction of collagen. Keloid scars are often raised like hypertrophic scars, however unlike hypertrophic scars the raised area grows outside of the area where the wound initially occurred.
Depending on their size and location, keloid scars can be painful and affect a patient’s movement.
Compounded Scar Treatment Is Better Than Over the Counter Remedies
Topical drug therapy is very effective in reducing raised scars from deep wounds and is less invasive than surgical alternatives. However, the pharmaceutical industry does not produce many drug therapies for scar reduction. Regardless, Union Medical Pharmacy can compound custom formulations which have been used to reduce scar tissue. To obtain a prescription for a custom compounded scar reducing formulation fill out the request form below. We will send a formulation suggestions to your prescribing provider. Your prescriber will select the appropriate formulation for you and send the prescription to Union Medical Pharmacy.
*Note – Union Medical Pharmacy will only send prescription formulation information to valid prescribers