All About Scars And How Scars Form

Welcome to my blog I'm Jazzie Craig, a scar removal specialist. When I first began camouflage tattooing scars here in Dallas, it led me to look deeper into scars and how they form.

Approximately 100 million people in developed countries acquire scars each year from surgeries alone. Of course we also know millions of others have scars from natural causes too.

In this post, I'll peel back the layers and explore the science behind how scars form after a wound.

What Happens When You First Get Injured?

Have you ever really looked at a scar on your body and thought about what went into making that mark?

Let's imagine this: you're playing outside and accidentally scrape your knee on the sidewalk. Ouch!

In that moment, your body instantly jumps into action to deal with this injury on your skin. Here's what goes down:

The second your knee hits the concrete, your nerves start firing off signals to your brain. Your brain gets the message loud and clear and starts releasing chemical SOS signals to begin the healing process.

Stop the leaking blood ✅ Your blood vessels near the scrape squeeze tight to reduce blood loss. At the same time, platelets rush over to form a clot and seal the wound. This stops the bleeding fast.

Call in defense ✅ Your immune system gets to work sending white blood cells to destroy any germs or bacteria that could cause an infection. Got to keep that wound site clean!

Clean up on aisle 3 ✅Over the next couple days, your immune system keeps cleaning out any damaged tissue or debris left from the injury.

Let's rebuild ✅ The repair team has arrived! Cells called fibroblasts move in and get to work creating collagen fibers to patch up the wound. New blood vessels also grow to feed the hardworking healing tissue.

Seeing all the steps, it's pretty neat how your body knows exactly what to do to take care of an injury and get you on the road to recovery.

What is Scar Tissue Made of?

Once the bleeding has stopped and the wound has closed up, the healing keeps going under the surface to form scar tissue. This tissue acts like a patch to cover up holes or tears in your skin.

Scar tissue has some key differences from your normal, healthy skin:

Collagen fibers - Fibroblasts produce tons of this protein when repairing an injury, which gives scars their fibrous texture. Collagen fibers interlace together to stitch the edges of the wound shut.

New blood vessels - Tiny capillaries have to grow into the rebuilding tissue to supply it with blood flow. This gives many new scars a pink or red hue.

Extracellular matrix - This glue-like mix of proteins and carbs holds the scar tissue together like a bandage over the wound.

Unlike the orderly rows of collagen and elastin that make up undamaged skin, scar tissue fibers are arranged haphazardly. This makes scars feel harder and less flexible than the skin around them.

Factors that Impact Scars

Now here's an interesting fact: not all scars are alike. The kind of scar you get depends on a bunch of different factors:

Your age - Kids and teens tend to heal faster. But their growing skin often makes their scars more visible.

Your genes - Your genetics determine how much collagen your body makes and how fast your skin can rebuild.

Your skin color - Darker skin is more prone to thick, raised scars called keloids. Lighter skin usually gets flatter, thinner scars.

Location - Wider scars form where skin is loose, like your shoulders or back. Scars on joints may stretch as you move. Facial wounds tend to heal with minimal scarring.

Injury size - Bigger and deeper wounds equal greater skin damage, so more extensive scarring.

Wound closure - Open wounds scar more than those stitched up or closed with glue.

Healing conditions - Scars tend to be worse if the wound gets infected or has issues healing. Smoking also inhibits the healing process.

So if you and your bestie got the same cut, your scars could still look different based on all these factors!

Different Shapes and Sizes

The healing process can create a wide variety of scars. Let's look at some of the most common shapes and sizes you might see:

Flat scars

These scars are barely raised and may fade to white over time. They form when only a little collagen is made while healing minor wounds or surgical cuts.

Raised scars

These scars sit higher than the surrounding skin. Too much collagen produced during healing leads to this thicker, more prominent scarring. Raised scars often occur after burns, cuts, and upper body injuries.

Hypertrophic scars

These are raised, red, thick scars that extend beyond the original injury site. They usually flatten out after 1-2 years. Piercings, burns, and surgery can cause these dramatic scars.

Keloids

Keloids are severe scars where the tissue keeps growing, even after the wound has closed. They are shiny, swollen scars that may be itchy or painful. Keloids often run in families, especially among black skin.

Contractures

When healing skin becomes too tight, it pulls together and restricts movement. This causes rigid, contracted scars that limit range of motion across joints. Contractures frequently result from serious burns.

Acne scars

Injury to hair follicles from acne leads to depressed scars with dented, pitted skin texture. Collagen loss under the skin surface causes these scars, often seen on the face, chest and back.

Final Thoughts

Even though in my work as a camouflage tattoo artist I am responsible for helping people to cover and conceal scars... I also have developed a unique kind of respect for them. Scars are the proof that your body is designed to bounce back and heal itself.

I always tell my clients, be proud of your scars - they show you're stronger than whatever tried to hurt you! Scarring is a natural part of your body's healing process, they're proof you've overcome so much already.

But if you do want more information about a Camouflage tattoo for your surgery scars or other types of skin conditions , of course I am here to help. Reach out to me and I can tell you more about permanent makeup procedures, and camouflage tattoos in Dallas and Austin.