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Hypertrophic scars are the most common type of scar and usually follow a trauma such as a burn or accident, or after surgery. Hypertrophic scars will follow the line of the injury, which means it will follow the line of the surgical would, where the burn has been or where the original cut was. Some scars get better on themselves, but if the scar is still red and raised after a couple of weeks then it will need to be treated. Some people prefer to prevent scars forming and there is good evidence that early use of treatments such as silicone gels can prevent hypertrophic scars forming. Hypertrophic scars can be treated with simple non-invasive therapy.

Keloids are found in about 15% of the population and are more prevelant in people with dark (African or Asian) skin. The cause of Keloids is not entirley known, but they usually (but not always) follow an injury. Keloids tend to occur from the age of 10 and 30 and occur mainly on the chest, ear or shoulders. The main way to tell if the scar is hypertrophic or a Keloid is that Keloids extend away from the area of the injury and can be quite large. More than 80% of Keloid patients complain of itching, and 50% complain of pain associated with the Keloid. Treatment is normally complex and best done under the supervision of a specialist. Simple therapies such as silicone gels will help, but there maybe the need for additional treatments. These are discussed later.

Burn scars are fromed when the skin is burned on the top layer (superficial burn) or through to the second layer of skin (partial thickness burn). Burns tend to be complicated and are slow to heal. As a result a great many burns end up with scars. If the wound does not heal properly within two weeks then there is a more than 80% chance that a scar will develop. The size of the scar depends upon the size of the burn and tend to be hypertrophic scars but spread over a large area. Burn scars can be treated and tend to be treated under a specalist with several different types of treatment used, including silicone gels.

Atrophic scars are small pitted indentations in the skin. These are usually occur after acne, chicken pox, insect bites or in some cases after injections. The scars are sometimes red but this can fade over time. The redness of atrophic scars can be treated, by simple convenient therapy such as silicone gel, but the indentation is slightly harder to treat and may require a physical process such as dermabrasion or a chemical peel. Companies that pefrom these treatments are on the links section

This website has been possible due to an Educational grant provided by Sinclair Pharmaceuticals, providers of Kelo-Cote scar Gel. We would like to thank Sinclair Pharmaceuticals for thier generous support