Most of us can say we now have at the very least a scar or two that we’re not fairly eager about and should have been making an attempt to eliminate ever because the harm that spawned it. I’ve received a number of from having chickenpox 25+ years in the past, one from unintentionally stabbing myself whereas whittling a bit of wooden, one other from a nasty steam burn whereas working in a espresso store, and yet one more from slipping on a dock and gouging my ankle. And people are simply those I discover each day. Not solely are these not-so-great reminiscences I would relatively not have tattooed on my physique, however they’re additionally a bit ugly. These pure scar cures work simply as effectively—if not higher!—than costly store-bought lotions.
Meet the specialists
Molly Stanton, an skilled esthetician and the proprietor of Sage Lane Skincare in Santa Monica
Enrizza Factor, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist
Olivia Rose, N.D., a naturopathic physician and the medical director of Rose Health Clinic in Toronto
What are scars?
Scars are regular pores and skin reactions that kind when there’s injury to the dermis (the deep thick layer of the pores and skin), explains Molly Stanton. “When the tissue is wounded, cells known as fibroblasts produce collagen to fix and restore the harm by creating new tissue that has a distinct texture and high quality than the encircling pores and skin,” she explains.
Sorts of scars
There are totally different sorts of scars. Most are flat and comparatively pale in comparison with the remainder of your pores and skin. Nevertheless, others could be sunken and pitted, which is usually seen with pimples scarring, Stanton factors out.
There are additionally raised scars often called keloids or hypertrophic scars, which may develop after burn accidents, cuts, piercings, or pimples, notes Dr. Factor. She defines hypertrophic scars as a milder type of keloid scars that don’t lengthen past the boundaries of the pores and skin that sustained the preliminary harm.
How the scar heals can also rely upon the place it’s on the physique. For instance, wounds in locations the place there’s fixed motion will, after all, take longer because the tissue is being pulled and stretched always, in accordance with Stanton. Moreover, scars ceaselessly uncovered to daylight could also be darker and extra obvious than those hidden beneath clothes.
When you’ve got scars from cuts and scrapes, accidents, pimples, or surgical procedure, chances are high no person else is noticing. However they will usually be annoying and make you are feeling self-conscious anyway. Whereas scars are inevitable (particularly if you happen to’re clumsy like I apparently am), there are numerous pure cures you should use to reduce their look.
12 At-Residence Scar Cures
Be aware that it could take constant functions—each day is good—for outcomes to be noticeable over time.
Placing on a regular basis merchandise into therapeutic use is enjoyable and offers me an excellent feeling. Who knew that there are such a lot of pure merchandise accessible to assist your physique? Although these aren’t confirmed scar healers, they every have many useful properties to present your pores and skin an excellent likelihood of trying its greatest.
When you’ve got some nasty scars and also you’re additionally battling stretch marks (aren’t all of us?), these scar therapies are natural stretch mark remedies, too!
1. Cucumber
Cucumbers deliver with them some anti-inflammatory results from naturally-occurring phytochemicals known as cucurbitacins [source] and the antioxidant results of flavonoids [source]. Thus, a cucumber masks or lotion can reduce irritation and presumably even the looks of scars on the face or physique.
Cucumbers even have lightening brokers [source] that can assist scale back residual redness.
Do that simple mixture at dwelling:
—1 peeled cucumber
—1 tablespoon natural Greek yogurt
Puree the cucumber after which combine within the yogurt. Apply the combination to your face or different affected areas, and depart it on for 10 minutes earlier than rinsing completely. Bonus: You possibly can eat it, too!
2. Frankincense essential oil
This important oil additionally has well-known anti-inflammatory properties [source] and helps deal with dry pores and skin. It has been used to reverse the signs of aging and scale back the looks of stretch marks and scars.
3. Rosehip seed oil
Combine frankincense oil with one other scar-fighting oil, rosehip seed oil, to make an anti-aging facial oil that additionally can be utilized on scars. Rosehip seed oil is excessive in antioxidants and important fatty acids that heal broken and dehydrated pores and skin [source]. It is a “dry” oil, that means that it soaks into the pores and skin simply and doesn’t depart a greasy residue, so you should use a repair serum nearly wherever in your physique.
4. Apple cider vinegar
Dilute ACV with wherever from 1 to 4 components water (relying on how delicate your pores and skin is), and dab or swipe that on utilizing a cotton ball to assist fade scars and solar spots. When you’ve got acne-prone or oily pores and skin, do that surprise ingredient in an acne-fighting turmeric-ACV astringent to utilize the antibacterial results in apple cider vinegar [source].
5. Aloe vera gel
As a scar reducer, aloe vera is accessible and straightforward to use, notes Olivia Rose. “When you’ve got an grownup aloe vera plant, you possibly can minimize a leaf off, scoop out the jelly to apply to your pores and skin, and you may depart it on so long as you want or put on a skinny layer of the jelly to mattress,” she says. “Constant use can fade hyperpigmentation, scale back scar tissue measurement, and provides the pores and skin a rejuvenated look.”
I’ve to say this labored wonders on my ankle scarring—you possibly can nonetheless see some discoloration, but it surely’s not almost as raised because it was once.
6. Lemon juice
As one other nice therapy for pimples scars, lemon juice is understood for its bleaching motion when utilized in mixture with the solar, and it helps to fade any darkish discolorations. Mix it with aloe’s inflammation-fighting energy in an aloe-lemon face pack (you should use it on different components of the physique, too.)
7. Vitamin K cream or serum
Leafy greens are the perfect pure supply of vitamin Okay, which helps in blood clotting. In terms of pores and skin, a topical application of vitamin K has been stated to assist reduce spider veins, bruising, scars, and stretch marks.
Bonus: Consuming your kale and collards will assist to advertise therapeutic from inside, too.
8. Baking soda
DIY magnificence experts swear by baking soda for discoloration and pimples scars. It is also a gentle exfoliant. It may be massaged round a healed scar to softly scrape off the highest layer of pores and skin.
Combine a bit water with baking soda to make a paste, and apply it with a really light therapeutic massage into moist pores and skin, then let it sit for 10 to fifteen minutes. (Maintain a heat compress on it for even higher outcomes.)
Bonus: It leaves your pores and skin child mushy afterward.
9. Additional virgin olive oil
EVOO is understood for its wound therapeutic potential [source]. It helps loosen useless pores and skin cells and is alleged to lighten and soften scars. It’s cheap and available. You possibly can even depart a bit olive oil on the affected space in a single day for additional moisturizing.
10. Cocoa butter
Cocoa butter (go for natural, uncooked variations if potential) is a extremely concentrated fats that may penetrate deep into the pores and skin to heal, easy, and soften. Its antioxidants heal and assist to stop the getting older results of UV rays [source]. This cocoa butter balm is nice to make use of if in case you have bigger scars as a result of you possibly can cowl an even bigger space extra simply with a jar of this standard pores and skin butter.
Bonus: It smells like you might be on trip.
11. Lavender essential oil
Lavender oil has been proven to enhance collagen synthesis, which is the most important constructing block of wholesome pores and skin [source]. Along with serving to deal with burns, eczema, and pimples, lavender’s therapeutic and soothing properties can also assist diminish scar tissue.
Lavender is gentle enough for skin that you would be able to apply a few drops to the affected space each day (do a small take a look at patch on the within of your elbow first if you happen to’ve by no means used it earlier than).
Bonus: Lavender important oil is great to diffuse for nervousness and insomnia.
12. Most moisture for pores and skin
It’s essential to maintain the pores and skin moisturized and guarded. Pure emollients have lubricating properties which are tremendous soothing to the pores and skin and assist reduce the looks of scars. Attempt totally different mixtures of oils for the proper scent and smoothness and to pay attention their antioxidant and softening energy on any troublesome spots.
For example, you may make one thing like this homemade scar lotion, which comprises coconut oil, frankincense, aloe, wheat germ oil, and rosehip oil—a scar-fighting powerhouse.
As soon as you are feeling assured creating your personal wholesome merchandise at dwelling, you could not even need to revisit the pharmacy for these chemical-laden moisturizers once more!
Scar Therapy FAQs
Can utilizing onions on the pores and skin assist the looks of scars?
Nicely, kind of. A number of current research have proven {that a} gel containing onion extract (together with a number of different compounds) positioned on a wound proper after surgical procedure improves the look of the postoperative scar that can develop [source], stopping keloid scars from forming [source]. One examine confirmed enchancment in scars that have been already fashioned after 3 months of therapy with a 5% onion extract gel [source]. And there are a number of products like this in the marketplace at present that comprise onion.
What causes keloid scars, and what can I do to stop them?
Keloid scars are fashioned when the collagen fibers in a therapeutic wound kind a disorganized sample because of a dysfunctional therapeutic course of. The scars find yourself trying crimson, bunched up, enlarged, and uneven. This could occur after any form of pores and skin harm, and the tendency for them generally runs in households. The mechanism is complicated however fairly effectively understood, though why it occurs in some circumstances and never in others remains to be unknown [source]. A
ccording to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are some things you are able to do to stop them, relying on the state of affairs. Keloids take time to develop, so that you’ll need to look ahead to any signal of irregular therapeutic or thickening after a wound heals. When you discover this occurring, you should use silicone scar gel or a silicone gel sheet over the scar daily for about 6 months to maintain it from enlarging additional [source]. You also needs to hold the realm from all solar publicity.
This text was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with greater than 20 years of follow expertise. Study extra about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As at all times, this isn’t private medical recommendation, and we advocate that you simply speak together with your physician.
References:
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2. Serafini M, et al. Flavonoids as anti-inflammatory agents. Proc Nutr Soc. 2010.
3. Smit N, et al. The hunt for natural skin whitening agents. Int J Mol Sci. 2009.
4. Zhang Y, et al. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activities of a triterpene beta-elemonic acid in frankincense in vivo and in vitro. Molecules. 2019.
5. Mármol I, et al. Therapeutic applications of rose hips from different Rosa species. Int J Mol Sci. 2017.
6. Yagnik D, et al. Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression. Sci Rep. 2018.
7. Lin TK, et al. Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2018.
8. Scapagnini G, et al. Cocoa bioactive compounds: significance and potential for the maintenance of skin health. Vitamins. 2014.
9. Mori HM, et al. Wound healing potential of lavender oil by acceleration of granulation and wound contraction through induction of TGF-B in a rat model. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016.
10. Güngör ES, et al. The efficacy of onion extract in the management of subsequent abdominal hypertrophic scar formation. J Wound Care. 2020.
11. Melnyk N, et al. Current knowledge on interactions of plant materials traditionally used in skin disease in Poland and Ukraine with human skin microbiota. Int J Mol Sci. 2022.
12. Napavichayanun S, et al. Evaluating efficacy and safety of the topical silicone gel containing onion extract in the treatment of post-cesarean surgical scars. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022.
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14. Keloid scars: self-care. American Academy of Dermatology Affiliation web site.
