How do we scar?
Every time you injure your skin, it will immediately start to repair itself.
From wounds to scars
After you injure yourself, the wound will be slightly red and warm due to the instant reparation process initiated by your skin. After a while you will develop a scab which protects the wound while it is healing. Eventually this scab falls off and you might or might not be left with a scar. The highly complex reparation process of your skin can be categorised into three main phases: inflammation phase, proliferation phase and maturation phase. It can be categorised in three main phases: inflammation, proliferation and maturation.
A scar is a permanent mark on your skin left by a healed wound. It is the result of the normal wound healing process after skin tissue is injured. The body produces collagen to reconnect tissues which are broken apart by an injury. Scars consist of flexible and strong collagen tissue which is formed during said repair process of the skin.
Immature scars can have a reddish color and are usually raised, itchy and might be slightly painful. A normal mature scar develops later on during the maturation phase. The scar will become flattened and more pale in color, e.g. white or silver, but it will not fully disappear. You will be left with a mark on your skin. The whole scarring process can take up to 2 years to conclude.
In some cases, scars can become problematic or abnormal. They do not heal to become a fine line but remain visibly different to the surrounding skin in size, color, contour and texture. Several varieties of abnormal scars exist and include types such as hypertrophic scars and keloids.
