Self-harm and the often quite literal scars it leaves behind is something that many people shy away from talking about. Understandably, these scars can be a painful reminder of a past issue or a time in your life that you would rather not remember. Thankfully, like other types of scars, there are ways to permanently treat the look of self-harm scars, giving you the confidence to step out into the world without worrying about hiding them or having to see them ever again.
Whether you’re someone who views their scars as a painful reminder, or as a sign that you survived a difficult time in your life, there’s no doubt that you will have thought about what your options are for either covering them or removing them permanently.
From unwanted questions to unwelcome glances, self-harm scars can often attract a lot of attention. You’ll be pleased to hear that there are professional treatments that can significantly diminish the look of these scars, leaving you free to enjoy your life without the constant hassle of covering them up.
Why Self-Harm Scars Are Difficult to Treat at Home
Like any type of injury to the skin, self-harm can lead to the formation of different scar types, not all of which can be as easily treated as the other. While flat scars will often fade on their own, self-harm injuries can often heal as keloids or hypertrophic scars – both of which are far more difficult to fade in appearance without the use of professional treatments.
Both keloids and hypertrophic scars form as the result of an overproduction of collagen during the healing process. Although they are both raised scars, keloids can be even more difficult as they are characterised by the fact that they grow beyond the original wound site, often thickening and growing indefinitely if left untreated.
Scar Removal Treatments for Self-Harm Scars
Despite the traumatic story behind self-harm scars, the good news is that they can be improved with the same professional scar removal treatments as any other type of scarring. Don’t worry if your self-harm scars are old and already healed as these treatments will work equally as well on both new and old scarring.
There are a number of different scar removal treatments offered by laser skin clinics, and while the success of these is influenced by a number of factors – including the type of self-harm scars you have and your skin type – the one thing they all have in common is the noticeable results they provide. As with any treatment, before you decide which scar removal treatment is right for you, make sure to book a consultation with a skin expert. Not only will the advise you on which treatment, or combination of treatments, will be right for your scarring but then can help you avoid a costly mistake or disappointment by creating you a bespoke treatment plan for the best possible results.
Currently, the treatments with the best results for treating scars – including self-harm scars – are advanced dermabrasion, scar revision, laser resurfacing, collagen induction therapy, a marine peel treatment, and the derma white treatment.
As already mentioned above, patients often report the most significant results when combining some of these treatments as recommended by a specialist due to their experience. Advanced dermabrasion treats raised scars by removing the damaged upper layers of skin while treatments like collagen induction therapy repair the skin from within, stimulating the body’s natural healing response in order to change the colour and texture of scars.
Active ingredient based treatments are also recommended for the treatment of self-harm scars where you have pigmentation issues, usually these are in combination with other treatments that have physical methods of action. The marine peel treatment and the derma white treatment are just two commonly used and highly-effective examples of treatments that work on the upper layers of the skin. And t’s important to note that being herbal based neither of these treatments has the side effects associated with the harsher chemical or glycolic peel treatments.
