Scar Treatment

The wounds of some people undergo aberrant healing, resulting in the formation of keloids or hyperthropic scars.

Keloid scars are actually thick, puckered, itchy clusters of scar tissue that grow beyond the edges of a wound or incision and rarely regress. Keloid scars are sometimes very nodular in nature, and they are often darker in color than surrounding skin. They occur when the body continues to produce tough, fibrous protein (known as collagen) after a wound has healed.

Keloids can appear anywhere on the body, but most commonly occur over the breastbone, on earlobes and on shoulders. Keloids frequently occur in people with dark skin, such as individuals of Asian, African or Middle-Eastern descent. A person's tendency to develop keloids does lessen with age. However, one of the most troublesome aspects of keloid scars is their tendency to recur, sometimes requiring repeated treatment.

Keloids are fibrotic tumors characterized by a collection of atypical fibroblasts with excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components, especially collagen, fibronectin, elastin, and proteoglycans. Histologically, keloids contain relatively acellular centers and thick, abundant collagen bundles that form nodules in the deep dermal portion of the lesion. Keloids present a therapeutic challenge that must be addressed as these lesions can cause significant pain, pruritus (itch) and physical disfigurement, may not improve in appearance over time, and can even limit mobility if located over a joint.

Hypertrophic scars sometimes are difficult to distinguish from keloid scars histologically and biochemically, but unlike keloids, hypertropic scars remain confined to the injury site and often mature and flatten out over time. Both types secrete larger amounts of collagen than normal scars, but typically the hypertrophic type exhibits declining collagen synthesis after about six months. However, hypertrophic scars contain nearly twice as much glycosaminoglycan as normal scars and this and enhanced synthetic and enzymatic activity result in significant alterations in the matrix which affects the mechanical properties of the scars, including decreased extensibility that makes them feel firm.

As with hypertrophic scarring, people who have developed one keloid scar are likely to be prone to this condition in the future and should alert their doctor or surgeon if they are likely to need injections or to have any form of surgery.

Atrophic scars are characterized by a thinning and diminished elasticity of the skin due to a loss of normal skin architecture. An example of an atrophic scar is striae distensae, also known as stretch marks. Striae commonly occur in postpartum women after childbirth and also during times of larger-than-average weight gain and also in association with steroids. Atrophic scars are sometimes also observed after trauma, infection and disease, and may show loss of surface markings and smoothness or dry, fine wrinkles over time.

The Skin Repair Process

For reasons that are yet to be fully understood some people form raised scars that are red and thick and may be itchy or painful and others develop scars that extend beyond the site of an injury.

When the skin is damaged it produces growth factors, inhibitors of tumors and proteins.
Following cutaneous injury or wounding, growth factors are produced to stimulate the regeneration of tissue and to induce the creation of antimicrobial peptides. The growth factor response ceases after regeneration of the tissue, when the physical barrier protecting against microbial infections is re-established.

Skin wounds healing is a vital process involving proliferation of cellular elements with accompanying synthesis of extracellular matrix that results in replacement of an open skin wound with tissue. With the completion of the dynamic process of wound healing, a scar remains in place of the wound. Although scar differs from normal uninjured skin, a normal scar returns functionality to the skin. However, that scar restores tensile strength to only approximately 80% of normal uninjured skin and stands out in appearance from the normal surrounding skin.

Skin remodeling

The removal or reduction of scars depends on a process called "skin remodeling". The skin is designed to heal wounds quickly to prevent blood loss and infection. Scars are manufactured from a rapidly formed "collagen glue" that the body deposits into an injured area for protection and strength. In ideal skin healing, wounded skin is rapidly closed, and then the healed area is slowly reconstructed to remove the residual collagen scars and blend the skin area into nearby skin. Scar collagen is removed and replaced with a mixture of skin cells and invisible collagen fibers. This remodeling may continue in a skin area for ten years.

In children the remodeling rate is high and scars are usually rapidly removed from injured skin areas. But as we reach adulthood, this rate diminishes and small scars may remain for years. One way to accelerate remodeling is to induce a small amount of controlled skin damage with a needle, laser, acid, or other means, and then let the body repair processes rebuild the skin area.

A second method is to use skin healing accelerators to increase the body's natural healing processes to obtain better final results. SKIN REMOVAL ACCELERATORS within BIOSKINCARE™ CREAM help both to loosen and remove scar proteins.

BIOSKINCARE™ CREAM helps to REGULATE the skin healing and scar formation process.

Topical application of the cream on skin wounds and scars decreases dermal fibroblast proliferation and excess collagen production, and thus prevents and reduces keloid, hyperthropic and atrophic scars.

The active element in the cream is a natural biological ingredient, collected from live land snails, the same they use to quickly repair their own skin and shell when damaged. It is contained in the mucin secreted by the snails, and gathered through a process that is safe for them. It is a viscose liquid that is made into an odorless white cream with no alien or synthetic chemicals.

Analysis of the mucin has determined that it contains activators of skin growth factors and antimicrobial peptides. Also present are natural anti-inflammatory and immune modulating proteins, glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans that tightly binds divalent cations, such as copper (II), and acharan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (GAG), as a protein-free polysaccharide.

GAGs are a family of linear anionic polysaccharides that are typically isolated as proteoglycans linked to a protein core. The biological functions of proteoglycans, including the regulation of cell growth, signaling, inflammation, tumorigenesis, and interactions with pathogens result, in large part, through the interaction of the GAG chains in proteoglycans with proteins, such as growth factors and their receptors. GAGs also provide hydration and swelling pressure to tissues enabling them to withstand compression forces.

The Bioactive Ingredients in BIOSKINCARE™ Act As:

(1) Regulators of enzyme activity;
(2) Regulators of neurite outgrowth,
(3) Anti-inflammatory agents that limits oxidative damage after tissue injury;
(4) Stabilizers, cofactors, and/or co-receptors for :

(4a) proteins produced by the human body that enable cells to communicate and effectively coordinate activities between one another (growth factors),
(4b) intracellular messenger molecules whose major function is to attract immune cells to sites of infection (chemokines), and
(4c) as regulatory proteins released by cells of the immune system that act as intercellular mediators in the generation of an immune response (cytokines).

The snail mucin also contains an antibacterial glycoprotein that acts as a humoral defense factor. It has L-amino acid oxidase activity and can generate cytotoxic H(2)O(2) hydrogen peroxide; however, the concentration of H(2)O(2) is not sufficient to kill bacteria.

Immunochemical analysis revealed that the glycoprotein is preferentially bound to growth-phase bacteria, accounting for its important role in growth-phase-dependent antibacterial activity. Thus the snail glycoprotein acts as an important defense molecule against invading bacteria.

Next > A review of current and new scar treatment products and methods

A natural cosmetic product, not a drug, pharmaceutical, or product aimed to cure a disease.