Skin Concerns
Scars
What are Scars?
Scarring occurs when new collagen is laid down to heal a skin injury eg wound or after inflammation eg acne. There are many types of scars and understanding their type, as well as being able to differentiate between keloid or hypertrophic scar types as this will help guide you to the correct potential treatment options.
Where should I start?
A careful consultation including an Observ 520x skin scan with one of our team will help guide you on your first steps to improving your skin concern. We can assess your barrier, hydration, inflammation and more at this appointment.
Skincare Options:
Home skincare is always most important and will be key to improving your overall skin quality, as long as your products suit your skin and its current condition.
If you still have an active inflammatory condition it is important to address this before considering scar treatment. Prevention is always better than cure!
It’s easy to fall for marketing, bold social media claims & ‘magic’ cures, we’ve all been there. Refocusing your time, commitment and budget to what will most likely work over time is a good place to start.
The Fitzgerald Private Clinic team is here to guide you through the process, often changing only one or two products initially, and gradually advancing your routine as long as your skin is responding well.
Skincare routines don’t need to take hours, we find the simplest, easiest to follow regimes with the correct choice of results-driven products work best.
Common skincare recommendations for acne:
Often barrier repair with a gentle cleanser, simple moisturiser & sunscreen (ideally mineral-based) is helpful initially.
Retinoids (eg retinol, retinaldehyde, prescription tretinoin) help heal the skin by increasing turnover and encouraging healthy collagen synthesis.
As retinoids are contraindicated in pregnancy, an alternative option is the stem-cell derived skincare line Calecim.
Daily SPF is crucial to prevent further skin damage and to allow the healing process to continue whilst minimizing UV damage on top.
In-Clinic Treatment Options:
These are not ‘one size fits all’ so you can discuss your goals, downtime preferences and what will suit your skin best at your consultation. Options will extend over time too as your skin health improves.
Very little will completely eradicate scarring but there are options to help reduce their severity.
Skinpen medical microneedling is by far the best treatment too start with, either for facial or body scars. You will gain more from microneedling if you have already started using retinoids and daily SPF.
You may advance further than to Morpheus8. This adds radiofrequency to microneedling, and we can use resurfacing options with this too.
Injectable Options:
Injectable treatments are not for everyone, but it’s good to know what’s out there for potential future options.
Gentle subcision and dermal filler placement can be used in some situations.
We find Profhilo helpful in our clinic in some situations also to hydrate the skin and plump it around the scarred areas.
Other Options & Advice:
If you are aware of all current treatment options available, either in our clinic or elsewhere, you can make the best-informed decisions about the pathway that best suits you. If we feel your particular concern may be better treated by other devices, medications, specialist opinions or surgical approaches we will be happy to let you know. We will always stand by our ethical medical aesthetic approach.
Total resurfacing laser (C02 or erbium) can help with the treatment of deeper scars after acne settles. We can signpost you to this treatment if you need.
Sometimes surgical scars may require revision seeing a Plastic Surgeon will give you other options to consider.