	Article Directory		Article Submission Service		Article Marketing Blog		Publishers		Member Log In

Article Directory :: Legal Articles

Treatment Options for Scarring After an Accident

By Michael Schafer

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 11Oct2009
Word count: 483
Viewed: 304 time(s)

Get Free Content For Your Site

As an accident victim there are many questions that pop up after an automobile, motorcycle, truck or bicycle accident. Some of the most common are; "How badly am I injured?" "Is my car totaled?" "Do I have enough insurance to carry me?" "Will this accident affect 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 is fibrous tissues 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.

Your injuries are individual to you. Someone with the same injury will not scar the same or heal the same as you. It is important to have an honest dialogue with your doctor to determine the best treatment for you. When you break a bone you need for it to heal, the same with your skin. You, as well as your doctor, want you to be as close to what you were before your accident.

About The Author Michael A. Schafer is anattorney who concentrates his law practice in personal injury litigation in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of "7 Potholes That Can Wreck Your Kentucky Accident Case" and "What You Don't Know About Buying Car Insurance Can Hurt You".

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here