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Treating Scars After an Accident

Posted on Feb 05, 2009

After an automobile, motorcycle, truck or bicycle accident there are many issues and questions that surface with the victims. “How badly am I injured?” “Is my car totaled?” “Do I have enough insurance to carry me?” “Will this accident effect me for the rest of my life?” If you have been injured in an accident you know all of the questions that continually go through you mind. Once you have been treated and are recovering you may be faced with the issue of permanent scarring. “Will this pink line down my cheek be forever?” “Will this surgery scar across my shoulder ever go away?”

Scarring are fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury and is a natural part of the healing process. Almost every wound will have scarring of varying degrees. The tissue produced in scarring is not identical to the tissue it is replacing. It is usually inferior to what it is replacing and doesn’t function as well. Less resistant to ultraviolet radiation, sweat glands and hair follicles don’t grow back. There are several treatments to lessen scarring;

•    Topical treatments     This is the use of silicone gel sheeting is used by plastic surgeons as well as burn centers and provide nice results.
•    Needling     This is a process where the area is needled continuously which will promote collagen forming in the scar area.
•    Pressure garments     These are garment specifically made for the victim and worn 24 hours a day for anywhere from six months to a year. The constant pressure is believed to cause the scars to become softer and flatter. This process is used frequently with burn victims who have large areas of scarring.
•    Steroid injections     Steroids are injected into the actual scar to flatten and soften the scar.
•    Dermabrasion     This is the removal of the surface of the skin. This process is more effective in treating raised scars as opposed to scars that are sunken.
•    Collagen injections     Collagen injections are used to treat sunken scars. Collagen is injected and the sunken scar rises to the surface of the skin. The effects are not permanent and this process has to be repeated on a regular basis.
•    Surgery     The scars can be cut out and stitched up but you run the risk of the surgery scar healing the same way. A new form of treatment is laser surgery. It has been effective is lowering the redness of the scar but not as much in flattening the scar.

If you have scarring, either from an accident or other injury, check with you doctor and see which process will be best for you personally.

If you would like more information on Louisville, Kentucky attorney Mike Schafer go to www.mikeschaferlaw.com. There you can order your copy of his free report on buying car insurance.