What are hypertrophic scars?

Hypertrophic scars are raised scars that develop when the body produces too much collagen during healing. The collagen impacts the development of your scar tissue, and where there is an excessive amount, it leads to a hypertrophic scar – looks raised, red and lumpy.

They are usually seen in younger individuals who have had precipitating injuries such as a burn.

These abnormal scars commonly occur following:

  • Surgical wounds
  • Acne
  • Traumatic skin injury
  • Deep cuts
  • Deep burn wounds

Although they often improve over time, some remain painful, itchy or cause cosmetic disfigurement for a while if left untreated.

Why do hypertrophic scars form?

Hypertrophic scarring tends to occur when scar tissue overproduces collagen, often due to wound healing complications or excessive scarring. 

According to research, several factors contribute to hypertrophic scar formation, including:

  • Skin tension around the wound edges
  • Prolonged inflammation
  • Delayed healing wound
  • Family history
  • Certain skin types
  • Transforming growth factor beta activity
  • Mast cells involved in healing

Factors such as skin type, body piercings, or burn scars can increase risk, and darker skin types and younger patients are also more prone to hypertrophic or keloid scars.

Hypertrophic scars vs keloid scars at a glance

It is normal for the untrained eye to confuse hypertrophic scars with keloids, as they are formed and look relatively similar. However, there are some key differences between the two, which are:

Hypertrophic scars

  • Stay within the original wound
  • May gradually flatten over time
  • Commonly occur after surgery or injury
  • Often respond well to treatment

Keloid scars

  • Extend beyond the original wound
  • May occur spontaneously in some people
  • Continue growing over time
  • Can be more challenging to treat

A correct diagnosis must be made before beginning treatment, in order to ensure the desired results. For that to happen, getting the help of a professional will help.

Hypertrophic scar treatment options

Several treatments can help soften scar tissue and improve appearance.

Silicone therapy

Silicone gel is among the most common treatment options for newly formed hypertrophic scars. They help hydrate the scar and regulate collagen production, which can go a long way to eliminating or reducing their visibility.

Corticosteroid injections

Steroid injections help reduce inflammation, flatten raised scars and relieve symptoms such as pain and itch, aiding both the comfort level and visual appearance of your scar.

Laser therapy

Laser therapy improves redness, stimulates collagen remodelling and softens scar tissue, helping scars appear smoother over time. It is a highly popular and effective way for managing the appearance of hypertrophic scars.

Microneedling

Also known as percutaneous collagen induction (PCI), microneedling has become an increasingly popular way to ensure skin rejuvenation as well as an improved look to hypertrophic scars. Can be used for both hypertrophic and keloid scars

Surgical Revision

If necessary, scar revision techniques can be applied to treat hypertrophic scars, but with a combination of other treatments to ensure better results.

By not solely relying on surgery, it is easier to eliminate risk factors related to the recurrence of a treated scar.

Personalised treatment at Goutos London

At Goutos London, led by scar treatment expert, Mr Ioannis Goutos, we like to do our due diligence to ensure our patients get the right treatment for the best results. By providing personalised treatments, we can tackle each situation on a case-by-case basis.

We create an individual treatment guide based on:

  • Scar size
  • Scar age
  • Symptoms
  • Skin type
  • Previous treatments
  • Overall health

By assessing your skin condition, the way scars have developed, and discussing what your desired results are, we can come up with the perfect scar treatment guide that is very likely to combine multiple treatment options. Once we can confirm what we are treating between hypertrophic scars and keloids, it becomes much easier to decide how to tackle it.

Follow-up care

With any medical treatment plan, follow-up appointments are very important to ensuring everything goes to plan. Your specialist can monitor healing, assess progress and adjust treatment if required, by potentially using silicone sheets, topical therapies, or a steroid injection to re-energise the process.

The important thing to remember is that early intervention often delivers the most successful long-term results.

When should you seek treatment?

If your scar becomes increasingly raised, painful, itchy or affects your confidence, it’s worth seeking specialist advice.

At Goutos London, we provide expert assessment and evidence-based treatments to help improve scar appearance, reduce pain and support healthy skin healing.

Click here or call 07908422412 today to learn about the effective treatments we offer to help you get rid of your hypertrophic scars at Goutos London.