Scarring on any area of the body can be a painful reminder of a past injury or health issue, and provide the feelings of insecurity when it is exposed to the public. Minimizing scars on the skin will depend on several factors, both applying new habits as well as eliminating others in order to make the scar as invisible as possible. Many recent developments in skin care applications can minimize scarring dramatically.
Step 1
Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to the skin, especially to the affected area. This will prevent the new skin from being traumatized by harmful UVA and UVB radiation that comes from sunlight, as recommended by Ramona Bates, MD. This will encourage the redness of the scar to naturally fade and not to sunburn. Avoid long-term sun exposure while the scar is healing.
Step 2
Avoid touching, scratching or itching open sores on the skin, as not to initiate harmful bacteria into the wound. The skin naturally carries out a cycle of healing, and can accomplish this effectively with minimal scarring if the damaged area is kept clean and pH balanced.
Step 3
Massage the scar gently on a daily basis. This draws blood circulation to the area to encourage healthy nutrients to move throughout the skin, reducing inflammation and redness.
Step 4
Ingest 2 tsp. of flax seed oil daily. This is an essential fatty acid that offers the body ample amounts of nutrition needed to heal the skin and reduce inflammation under a scar, as recommended by William Sears, MD, an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California.
Step 5
Apply Manuka honey to the wound daily. Manuka honey has been widely studied in New Zealand, and is even used in some hospitals for its anti-bacterial properties and healing attributes. In 1982, Bulgarian researchers Shkendrov and Koburova isolated another peptide in bee venom from Manuka honey, called adolapin and showed that it had significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that aid in reducing scar appearance and severity, even more than topical applications of vitamin E.
Things You'll Need
- Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher
- 2 tsp. flax seed oil
- Manuka honey
Member Comments