Scars on the skin may appear when a cut or other injury is in the process of healing.
Normal scars
At first, a normal scar may be red and look sore, but it will usually fade as the injury begins to heal. If the skin at the edges of the wound has come together fairly neatly – for example, after a narrow injury or because the wound was stitched, the scar will usually heal as a thin, pale line.
In wider scars, where more surface skin is missing and more scar tissue is needed to join the gaps between the skin, such as in a bad graze on the knee, the scar may be darker and take longer to heal.
Normal scars are not usually painful. However, they can be dark and unsightly. When the scar tissue fades, it may be more noticeable if you have dark skin or when the rest of your skin tans and the scar remains pale.
Abnormal scars
Keloid scars
A keloid scar has the following characteristics:
- it pushes into the normal skin or hangs off the skin in a saggy lump
- it can feel itchy
- it can feel painful
- it can appear much larger than the original wound
- it can cause a burning sensation and feel tender to touch
- it can restrict movement if it is near joints and is particularly tight
- it is raised above the skin
- it is hairless and appears shiny
- it feels hard and has a ‘rubbery’ texture
- a newly formed keloid scar is red or purple, changing to a browner colour and becoming paler as it gets older
The areas of the body where keloid scars are more likely to form include:
- the area around the breastbone (sternum)
- the upper arms and shoulders (deltoids)
- the upper back
Hypertrophic scars
A hypertrophic scar has the following characteristics:
- it can restrict movement because scar tissue is not as flexible or sensitive as the original skin
- it heals within the size of the original wound
- the healing area is much thicker than usual; the skin will thicken for six months after the injury
- it is red and raised to begin with; over time, the scar will flatten and become much paler
