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Alright, so I'm starting another little blog where I'll write about scars. In particular the one that I got after my car accident.
The scar that I got is very light and didn't cause too much damage (in fact Mariepop didn't even notice it until I pointed it out when I saw her in person).
The lightness of the scar doesn't mean that it can't or shouldn't be treated. The damage the scars leave is mostly emotional and/or physcological. In other words, we all know that scars in themselves aren't bad, but if they make you feel bad, then they should be treated.
First, lets look at the stages of the scar:
The first stage is called the Haemostatic phase
During this stage the body is just trying to close the wound. It does this by clotting the cut and thus forming a scab. Note that in my personal experience that scabbing doesn't necessarily mean a scar. This stage lasts a few hours to a day or so.
The second stage is called the Inflammatory phase
During this stage the cut gets inflammed because the body is removing bad stuff from the cut such as rust, wood, dirt, (or other foreign particles) and bacteria. This stage lasts for 2-4 days or so. During this stage you shouldn't apply anything to the cut just yet.
The third stage is called the Proliferative phase
I think that it's the most critical stage to start scar management. It runs from day 3 or 4 to day 21 or so. The skin is starting to restructure itself. Three things happen during this stage. The body is pulling the cut together to minimize the damage, the body is producing collagen, and the body produces the new skin to cover the cut.
It's important to help the body during this stage and I'll explain a little bit more later on.
The fourth and final stage is called the Maturation phase
This lasts from three weeks until 2 years. During this stage the body had healed the wound and is now started to help it fade and get smaller. It is important to continue scar management during this stage as well since improvements can still be noted.
The scar that I got is very light and didn't cause too much damage (in fact Mariepop didn't even notice it until I pointed it out when I saw her in person).
The lightness of the scar doesn't mean that it can't or shouldn't be treated. The damage the scars leave is mostly emotional and/or physcological. In other words, we all know that scars in themselves aren't bad, but if they make you feel bad, then they should be treated.
First, lets look at the stages of the scar:
The first stage is called the Haemostatic phase
During this stage the body is just trying to close the wound. It does this by clotting the cut and thus forming a scab. Note that in my personal experience that scabbing doesn't necessarily mean a scar. This stage lasts a few hours to a day or so.
The second stage is called the Inflammatory phase
During this stage the cut gets inflammed because the body is removing bad stuff from the cut such as rust, wood, dirt, (or other foreign particles) and bacteria. This stage lasts for 2-4 days or so. During this stage you shouldn't apply anything to the cut just yet.
The third stage is called the Proliferative phase
I think that it's the most critical stage to start scar management. It runs from day 3 or 4 to day 21 or so. The skin is starting to restructure itself. Three things happen during this stage. The body is pulling the cut together to minimize the damage, the body is producing collagen, and the body produces the new skin to cover the cut.
It's important to help the body during this stage and I'll explain a little bit more later on.
The fourth and final stage is called the Maturation phase
This lasts from three weeks until 2 years. During this stage the body had healed the wound and is now started to help it fade and get smaller. It is important to continue scar management during this stage as well since improvements can still be noted.