In brief
In brief
A scar is how skin heals a deeper wound — normal, not a failure. Scars are permanent but can be improved, not erased, and they mature over twelve to eighteen months, so patience matters. Protect a healing scar from the sun, support it with silicone and gentle care, and see a doctor for anything raised, growing or changing.
This guide explains surgical and traumatic scars at a concept level, for readers in Singapore. It covers what a scar is, the types (including keloids and hypertrophic scars), how scars mature, what shapes the result, how a scar can be improved, and why scars behave differently in richer and darker skin. The theme is realistic and reassuring: scars are normal, much of the outcome is within your influence, the honest aim is improvement rather than erasure, and most scars end up far better than people fear.
The short version
- Healing, not failure. Every deeper wound heals with some scar.
- Improve, not erase. Flatter, paler, softer — never quite gone.
- Give it time. Scars mature over 12–18 months — don’t judge early.
- Protect & support. Sun protection and silicone do most of the work.
- Know your risk. Keloid and dark-mark tendency is higher in darker skin.
Best suited for
- Anyone healing from surgery or an injury and wanting the best scar
- People with a raised, red or keloid scar wondering what can help
- Those with Asian or darker skin, where keloids and dark marks are commoner
- Anyone considering treatment for an old or troublesome scar
Starting simply
What a scar is
Before worrying about how to improve a scar, it helps to understand what one actually is — because the picture is more reassuring than most people assume.
A scar is how skin heals a wound that reaches its deeper layers — from surgery, injury, a burn or a deep spot. The body repairs the gap by laying down collagen as a patch; that patch is strong and functional, but its fibres sit in a more aligned pattern than the woven collagen of normal skin, so it looks and feels different. The key reframe is this: a scar is not a failure of healing — it is healing. Every full-thickness wound leaves some scar, which means the realistic aim is never no scar, but the best, least noticeable one your wound and skin will allow.
A scar is not the opposite of healing. It is the result of healing.
The biology, briefly
How a wound becomes a scar
It helps to see the process a wound goes through, because the scar is simply its final chapter — and understanding the sequence explains why patience matters so much.
Healing runs in four overlapping phases. Haemostasis stops the bleeding within minutes. Inflammation cleans the wound over days — the early redness and warmth are part of normal healing, not a sign of failure. Proliferation fills the gap with new tissue and collagen over weeks. And remodelling reorganises and strengthens that collagen over many months. The important insight is that this last phase is the scar maturing: the surface may look healed within weeks, but the scar keeps changing beneath it for a year or more — which is why a scar should never be judged by its early appearance.
Not all the same
The types of scars
Scars differ in how they look and behave, and the type shapes what will help — so it is worth telling them apart.
A fine-line scar is the flat, pale line of ordinary healing. A hypertrophic scar is raised and firm but stays within the wound’s borders. A keloid is raised too but grows beyond the original wound — the crucial distinction — and is strongly genetic. An atrophic scar is sunken, as with many acne scars, and a contracture is a tight scar, often after a burn, that can pull across a joint. The table sets them side by side:
Burns deserve a note of their own here: because they often damage the deeper layers of skin over a wide area, they carry a higher risk of thick, tight contracture scars — which is why significant burns are best managed early and by a specialist team, and why the skin over joints needs particular attention as it heals.
| Type | What it looks like | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Fine-line | Flat, pale line | Normal healing |
| Hypertrophic | Raised, red, firm | Stays within the wound’s borders |
| Keloid | Raised, may itch | Grows beyond the wound; genetic |
| Atrophic | Sunken, pitted | Common after acne or chickenpox |
| Contracture | Tight, taut | Can limit movement across a joint |
Telling a keloid from a hypertrophic scar matters most, because they differ in outlook and treatment — and a clinician can confirm which you have.
The long view
How scars mature
One of the most useful things to know about scars is also the most reassuring: they keep improving for a long time, so early appearances mislead.
A scar matures over roughly twelve to eighteen months. In the early weeks it is often red or dark, and firm or raised; over the following year it gradually pales, flattens and softens as the collagen reorganises. Two lessons follow. First, do not judge a scar too early — one still red and raised at six months is often simply still maturing, not a bad result. Second, much of scar care aims to support this natural process rather than force a quick change, and surgical revision is usually considered only once a scar has fully matured. Patience, genuinely, is part of the treatment.
A few things are worth expecting as a scar matures, because they are normal and often needlessly alarming. The colour usually travels a predictable path: a new scar is pink or red, sometimes briefly purple, before slowly fading to pale; in richer and darker skin it may instead turn brown for a time — a form of post-inflammatory pigmentation — which also settles, though more slowly. A maturing scar often itches, too: as healing nerves recover and the tissue remodels, itch is a common and usually harmless part of the process that tends to ease with time (though a scar that is intensely itchy, growing or painful is worth a check). And it is worth knowing that scars have a kind of memory — they keep reorganising beneath a surface that already looks healed, which is precisely why the final result takes so long, and why early appearances mislead.
Why scars differ
What shapes a scar
Why does one wound leave a barely-visible line and another a thick, raised scar? Three things combine — and one of them is squarely in your hands.
The scar you end up with is shaped by the wound (its depth, the tension on it, its location, and how well it was closed), your own biology (genetics and skin type, which set your tendency to raised or keloid scarring), and the care it receives (sun protection, silicone, avoiding tension and re-injury, and time). The wound and your biology are largely fixed — but the care is within your control, which is exactly why early, consistent attention genuinely changes the final result. It is also why this guide spends more time on care than on any single treatment.
Tension deserves a special mention, because it explains something patients often puzzle over: why scars widen. Skin is under constant tension, and where a wound sits across the natural lines of pull — or over a joint or an area that moves a lot — that tension tugs at the healing edges and can gradually stretch a scar wider over its first months. It is one reason surgeons think carefully about where and how to place an incision, and one reason avoiding strain on a fresh scar genuinely helps it stay fine.
What genuinely helps
Improving a scar
Improving a scar is less about one powerful treatment and more about a calm, layered approach — described here in general categories, since specifics depend on the scar and several are procedures.
The foundation for every scar is sun protection, silicone gel or sheets — which have the best evidence among non-invasive measures — moisturising, avoiding tension and re-injury, and time. On top of that, options are matched to the scar. For raised or keloid scars, a doctor may use steroid injections and pressure to soften and flatten them. For redness, vascular laser; for texture, fractional laser, microneedling or RF microneedling, which prompt the skin to remodel scar collagen. And for some scars, surgical revision can refine or reposition them — replacing a poor scar with a finer one, not erasing it. Approaches are often combined over time, no doses or settings are given here, and the honest aim throughout is to improve, not erase.
What not to do
- ✗ Don’t pick at scabs or re-open a healing wound — it worsens the scar.
- ✗ Don’t skip sun protection — unprotected scars darken and stay dark.
- ✗ Don’t judge a scar early — give it many months to mature first.
- ✗ Don’t rely on vitamin E or ‘miracle’ scar creams — the evidence is weak.
- ✗ Don’t self-treat a keloid or cut it out yourself — the wrong approach makes it worse.
Often overlooked
Scars in darker skin
One point deserves its own section, because it changes how a scar should be cared for: scars behave differently in richer and darker skin.
Richer and darker skin has a greater tendency toward keloid and hypertrophic (raised) scarring, and toward post-inflammatory pigmentation — a scar turning dark rather than pale, a form of PIH. Both are more likely, and often more stubborn, than in lighter skin. The practical consequences are real: sun protection and gentle early care matter even more; treatments that themselves injure the skin (such as lasers) must be chosen and dosed cautiously to avoid triggering pigment changes or worse scarring; and anyone with a keloid history should mention it before any procedure, including elective surgery. None of this means darker skin scars badly — it means the same care needs to be a little more thoughtful, ideally from a clinician experienced in skin of colour.
Local relevance
Scars in Singapore
Two local factors are worth keeping in mind — one about the climate, one about how treatments are regulated.
First, the sun. Singapore’s year-round equatorial ultraviolet is unforgiving to healing scars, which darken readily and can stay dark for a long time — so keeping a scar covered or under broad-spectrum sun protection for many months is genuinely important here, not a seasonal afterthought. Second, Singapore’s diverse population includes many people whose skin is more prone to keloid and hypertrophic scarring and to dark marks, which makes early, thoughtful scar care and an experienced eye especially worthwhile. On treatment, aesthetic and medical procedures here are regulated: you can verify a doctor’s registration on the Singapore Medical Council public register and confirm a clinic’s licensing with the Ministry of Health before proceeding. The fundamentals, though, are the same everywhere — protect, support, and give a scar time.
Clearing the air
Scar myths, cleared up
Scars attract some persistent myths, several of which lead people to waste effort or make a scar worse. A few worth dismantling plainly.
“A scar will disappear completely.” No — scars are permanent; the goal is to make them less noticeable, not invisible. “Vitamin E erases scars.” The evidence is weak, and it can occasionally irritate the skin; silicone and sun protection are far better supported. “Surgery removes a scar.” Revision replaces a poor scar with a finer one; it does not erase scarring, and every cut heals with a scar of its own. “A keloid is just a big scar.” A keloid is a distinct, harder-to-treat scar that grows beyond the wound and often recurs. “The more I treat it, the faster it heals.” Over-treating or picking at a scar tends to inflame and worsen it — gentle and patient beats aggressive. Clearing these up points you toward what actually works.
Safety and expectations
A safety note — when a scar needs a doctor
A few situations worth prompt attention
Most scars need patience rather than a doctor, but a few situations do warrant review. A scar that is growing beyond the original wound, or becoming raised, itchy or painful, may be a keloid and is easier to manage early. A contracture tightening across a joint and limiting movement should be assessed. Signs of infection in a healing wound — spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus or fever — need prompt medical attention. And importantly, any scar or lesion that changes, grows, bleeds, ulcerates or will not heal — especially a long-standing scar that starts behaving differently — should be checked, because, rarely, changes can develop within scar tissue. None of these is a cause for alarm, but each is a good reason to see a doctor rather than wait.
How an expert thinks
How an expert thinks
When someone shows me a scar, the first thing I do is manage the timeline in both directions: I ask how old it is, and I explain how long it still has to improve. So much needless worry comes from judging a scar at three months, when it has a year of settling still to do. I look at the type — is this a fine line still reddening, a hypertrophic scar, or a true keloid? — because that changes everything, and I ask early about a keloid tendency, especially in richer skin, before considering anything that injures the tissue. Then I steer toward the unglamorous fundamentals that genuinely work: protect it, support it with silicone, avoid tension, wait. And I am honest that we improve scars — sometimes markedly — but do not erase them. Under-promising and over-delivering is the right way round with scars.
Worth asking
- What type of scar is this, and how is it likely to mature?
- What can I do now, at home, to help it?
- Am I keloid-prone — and does that change the plan?
- Is it worth waiting, or treating — and when?
- Realistically, how much improvement can I expect?
A clinician who sets an honest timeline, leads with the fundamentals, and promises improvement rather than erasure is the right one for a scar.
A balanced view
A balanced view
It is worth acknowledging plainly: a visible scar — on the face especially — can weigh on how people feel, and wanting it to be less noticeable is entirely reasonable. So is deciding a scar does not trouble you enough to treat. Both are valid. What is not true is that a scar reflects a failure — yours or your surgeon’s. Most scars are simply the unavoidable price of a wound healing, and their early, angry appearance rarely reflects how they will end up.
Two gentle truths can help recalibrate expectations. The first is a better definition of success: a good scar is not a perfect one. A good scar is one that heals soundly, becomes comfortable, blends with the surrounding skin and draws little attention — not one that vanishes, which no scar does. Aiming for good rather than perfect is not settling; it is aiming at the right target. The second is about perspective: you almost certainly notice your scar far more than anyone else does. You know exactly where it is and study it in the mirror; others, if they notice at all, glance and move on. That gap between how much a scar occupies your attention and how little it occupies everyone else’s is worth remembering on the days it bothers you.
The kindest and most effective approach is patient and realistic: give a scar the time it needs, support it with the fundamentals, treat it thoughtfully where that helps, and hold an honest expectation of improvement rather than erasure. Where a scar is genuinely affecting your confidence or mood, that is a valid reason in itself to seek help — both for the scar and for the feelings around it — and a good clinician will take both seriously. Scars are part of almost everyone’s story; met with patience and sensible care, they usually settle far better than early impressions suggest.
When to see a doctor
When to see a doctor
Plenty of scars simply need time and the fundamentals, but a doctor’s input is worthwhile in several situations: a scar growing beyond the wound, or becoming raised, itchy or painful (a possible keloid); a contracture limiting movement; a scar you would like assessed for treatment; or one causing you real distress. Seek prompt attention for signs of infection in a healing wound, or for any scar that changes, grows, bleeds or will not heal. Getting an accurate read on the scar type early, and a realistic plan, makes everything that follows easier. In Singapore, you can verify a doctor’s registration on the Singapore Medical Council public register and confirm a clinic’s licensing with the Ministry of Health. An in-person assessment is the place to start.
The bigger picture
The bigger picture
A scar is how skin heals a deeper wound — normal, not a failure. Scars are permanent but can be improved, not erased, and they mature over twelve to eighteen months, so patience is part of the plan. Much of the outcome is within your influence: protect a healing scar from the sun, support it with silicone and gentle care, avoid tension and picking, and give it time. Know your keloid risk, treat troublesome scars thoughtfully, and see a doctor for anything raised, growing or changing. Where a scar troubles you or you are weighing up treatment, an honest in-person assessment is the place to start.
FAQ
Common questions
What is a scar, and why do scars form?
A scar is the natural mark left when skin heals a wound that reaches its deeper layers — from surgery, an injury, a burn or a deep spot. When skin is broken to that depth, the body repairs it by laying down collagen as a kind of patch. That patch is strong and functional, but its fibres are arranged differently from normal skin, so it looks and feels different. In other words, a scar is not a failure of healing — it is healing. Every full-thickness wound heals with some scar; the goal is never a scar-free result (which is not possible) but the best, least noticeable scar the wound and your skin will allow.
Do scars ever go away completely?
No — and it is kinder to be honest about this. A scar is permanent tissue; it can be made flatter, paler, softer and much less noticeable, but it cannot be erased or returned to unscarred skin. Even the best surgical revision replaces one scar with a finer one rather than removing it. What does change is how a scar looks over time: most scars fade and settle substantially as they mature over many months. So the realistic aim — and it is a worthwhile one — is meaningful improvement, not disappearance. Be wary of anyone promising to make a scar vanish completely.
What are the different types of scars?
Scars vary, and the type guides treatment. A fine-line scar is the flat, pale line of normal healing. A hypertrophic scar is raised, red and firm but stays within the original wound’s borders. A keloid is raised too but grows beyond the original wound, and is strongly influenced by genetics and skin type. An atrophic scar is sunken, as often seen with acne or chickenpox. A contracture is a tight scar, often after a burn, that can pull across a joint. Knowing which you have — best judged by a clinician — matters, because each behaves and responds differently.
What is the difference between a keloid and a hypertrophic scar?
Both are raised, firm, overgrown scars, and they are often confused — but the distinction matters for treatment and outlook. A hypertrophic scar stays within the boundaries of the original wound, and tends to improve over time. A keloid extends beyond the original wound onto normal skin, can keep growing, is more likely to itch or feel tender, and is notoriously prone to recurrence after treatment. Keloids are strongly linked to genetics and are commoner in richer and darker skin. Because keloids are harder to manage and can worsen with the wrong approach, they are worth seeing a clinician about early rather than experimenting on.
How long does a scar take to fade or mature?
Longer than most people expect — which is why patience is part of scar care. A scar matures over roughly twelve to eighteen months. In the early months it is often red or dark, and firm or raised; over the following year it gradually pales, flattens and softens as the collagen reorganises. This is why you should not judge a scar too early, and why some treatments aim to support that natural maturation rather than force a quick change. It also means giving a scar time before considering revision. A scar still red and raised at six months is often simply still maturing, not a disaster.
How do I get the best possible scar after surgery or an injury?
Much of it comes down to early, consistent care. Once the wound has closed and healed, the well-supported basics are: protect it from the sun (fresh scars darken easily), keep it moisturised and supported — silicone gel or sheets have the best evidence among non-invasive measures — avoid tension and re-injury, and don’t pick at scabs. Gentle massage once fully healed can help. And give it time. The wound itself and your own biology matter too, but these simple steps genuinely influence the final result — and they are worth starting early, guided where needed by the surgeon or a clinician.
Does silicone help scars?
Yes — silicone gel and silicone sheets have the best evidence among simple, non-invasive scar measures, and are widely recommended to help scars mature flatter and paler, and to help manage raised or hypertrophic scars. They are thought to work mainly by keeping the scar hydrated and supported. This page describes the category rather than naming brands or promising a specific result. Silicone is not a magic eraser — it supports better maturation rather than removing a scar — and it needs consistent use over months to help. A clinician can advise whether it suits your scar and how to use it.
Does the sun make scars worse?
Yes — and protecting scars from the sun is one of the simplest, most effective things you can do. Fresh and maturing scars are especially prone to darkening with ultraviolet exposure, and that pigmentation — a form of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation — can be stubborn and long-lasting, particularly in richer and darker skin. So a healing scar should be kept covered or under broad-spectrum sun protection for many months. This matters year-round in sunny Singapore. It is a small habit with a real payoff: a scar that stays pale rather than turning dark is far less noticeable.
What treatments can improve a scar?
A range, matched to the scar — described here as concepts, not a prescription. The foundation is sun protection, silicone, moisturising and time. For raised or keloid scars, a doctor may use steroid injections, pressure, or other measures to soften and flatten them. For redness, vascular laser can help; for texture, fractional laser, microneedling or RF microneedling encourage remodelling. For some scars, surgical revision can reposition or refine them. Often several approaches are combined over time. No doses, settings or brands are given here — the right plan depends on the scar and is set by a clinician.
How are keloids treated?
Carefully, and usually with several measures — because keloids are genuinely difficult and prone to coming back. Management is typically multimodal: steroid or other injections to soften and flatten, silicone and pressure, and sometimes laser; surgery alone is often avoided or used cautiously, because cutting out a keloid can trigger an even larger one unless combined with other treatment. Recurrence is common, so keloid care is usually ongoing rather than a one-off fix. Because the wrong approach can make a keloid worse, and because keloids are commoner in richer and darker skin, they are best managed early by an experienced clinician rather than self-treated. Honest expectations matter here especially.
Can a scar be removed with surgery?
Not removed — but sometimes revised, which is different. Scar revision surgery replaces an unfavourable scar (wide, pulling, or badly positioned) with a new, ideally finer and better-placed one — it trades a worse scar for a better one, rather than erasing scarring. It is not right for every scar, is usually considered only once a scar has fully matured, and carries the same reality as any wound: it heals with a scar of its own. For keloids especially, surgery alone can backfire and is combined with other treatment. Whether revision would help, and when, is a judgement for a clinician after assessing the scar.
Do lasers help scars?
They can, for the right scar and purpose — described here as a concept. Vascular lasers target the redness of newer or raised scars; fractional resurfacing lasers create controlled micro-injury that prompts the skin to remodel scar collagen and improve texture. Lasers are often one part of a combined plan rather than a standalone cure, results are gradual and usually need several sessions, and they improve rather than erase a scar. In richer and darker skin, laser must be chosen carefully to avoid pigment changes. No devices, settings or energies are named here; suitability is a clinical decision made by a qualified practitioner.
Does massaging a scar help?
Once a scar is fully healed (not before), gentle massage is a reasonable, low-cost measure that many clinicians recommend to help keep the scar supple and encourage it to settle, often alongside a moisturiser or silicone. It is not a dramatic treatment, and the evidence is modest, but it is generally safe and may help a maturing scar feel and look a little better. The key cautions: wait until the wound has completely closed, be gentle rather than vigorous, and stop if it causes pain, opening or irritation. If you are unsure whether your scar is ready, or how to do it, ask the surgeon or a clinician.
Do scars behave differently in Asian or darker skin?
Yes — and this genuinely matters for planning. Richer and darker skin has a greater tendency toward keloid and hypertrophic (raised) scarring, and toward post-inflammatory pigmentation — a scar turning dark rather than pale. Both are more likely and can be more stubborn than in lighter skin. The practical implications: sun protection and early, gentle care matter even more; treatments that themselves injure the skin (such as lasers) must be chosen cautiously to avoid triggering pigment or worse scarring; and anyone with a keloid history should mention it before any procedure. Care from a clinician experienced in darker skin makes a real difference.
When should I see a doctor about a scar?
See a doctor if a scar is growing beyond the original wound (a possible keloid), if it is raised, itchy or painful, or if a contracture is tightening across a joint and limiting movement — all of which are easier to manage earlier. Also seek review for a scar causing you distress, or one you are considering treating. Importantly, any scar or lesion that changes, grows, bleeds, ulcerates or will not heal — especially an old scar that starts behaving differently — should be checked, as, rarely, changes can develop in scar tissue. When in doubt, an assessment is worthwhile.
Can old scars be improved?
Often, yes — though usually less dramatically than fresh ones, and it depends on the scar. Old, mature scars are stable, so the quick wins of early care are past — but measures like fractional laser, microneedling, or surgical revision can still improve the texture, colour or shape of a long-standing scar, and a raised old scar or keloid can often be softened. The honest framing is improvement, not erasure: an old scar can usually be made less noticeable, rarely invisible. A clinician can look at a specific old scar and give you a realistic sense of what is achievable.
Does vitamin E or a natural remedy erase scars?
This is a common hope, but the honest answer is that vitamin E and most ‘natural’ scar remedies have weak evidence, and some — including vitamin E applied to the skin — can occasionally cause irritation or a rash. They will not erase a scar. If you want an evidence-based non-invasive measure, silicone, sun protection and time are far better supported. This is not to dismiss gentle moisturising, which can help a scar feel more comfortable — but it is worth spending your effort on what actually helps rather than on remedies that mostly do not. As ever, be wary of dramatic ‘scar removal’ claims for any cream, natural or otherwise.
What is the single most important thing for a good scar?
Protect it, support it, and give it time. Most good scar outcomes come down to that: keep a healing scar out of the sun, support it with silicone and gentle care, avoid tension and picking, and allow the many months a scar needs to mature. Add early attention to any scar that is growing or raised — especially if you are keloid-prone — and realistic expectations throughout: the goal is a flatter, paler, less noticeable scar, not no scar at all. Do those things, involve a clinician when needed, and most scars end up far better than people fear.
Sources
References
- Uppal S. Essential Surgical Anatomy for Facelift. Facial Plast Surg. 2022;38(6):546–574. (Author's own work; skin structure, wound healing and the basis of scarring.)
- Uppal S. Asian Perspectives on Facial Plastic Surgery. Facial Plast Surg. 2020;36(5):497–498. (Author's own work; skin-of-colour considerations relevant to keloid tendency and pigmentation.)
- Zhao CL, Teo S, Lim L, Uppal S. CT Evaluation of Facial Dimensions among Different Singaporean Ethnicities. Facial Plast Surg. 2020;36(5):499–504. (Author's own work; measured facial variation across Singaporean ethnic groups.)
- Monstrey S, Middelkoop E, Vranckx JJ, et al. Updated scar management practical guidelines: non-invasive and invasive measures. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2014;67(8):1017–1025. (External evidence-based guidelines; prevention and treatment of scars, including silicone.)
- Arno AI, Gauglitz GG, Barret JP, Jeschke MG. Up-to-date approach to manage keloids and hypertrophic scars: a useful guide. Burns. 2014;40(7):1255–1266. (External peer-reviewed review; management of keloid and hypertrophic scars.)
- Alster TS, Tanzi EL. Hypertrophic scars and keloids: etiology and management. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2003;4(4):235–243. (External peer-reviewed review; causes and treatment of raised scars.)
Important information. This article is general educational information about surgical and traumatic scars. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis or treatment recommendation, not a prescription, and does not state or imply any price, outcome or guarantee. It is not a substitute for an in-person consultation with a qualified clinician.
A scar is the natural mark left when skin heals a wound that reaches its deeper layers - from surgery, injury, a burn or a deep spot - as the body repairs the gap by laying down collagen whose fibres are arranged differently from normal skin; a scar is therefore healing rather than a failure of healing, and every full-thickness wound leaves some scar. Scars are permanent and can be improved, made flatter, paler, softer and less noticeable, but not erased, and they mature over roughly twelve to eighteen months, so a scar should not be judged too early. Types include fine-line, hypertrophic (raised but within the wound's borders), keloid (raised and growing beyond the wound, strongly genetic and commoner in richer and darker skin), atrophic (sunken) and contracture (tight, often after burns). The scar that results depends on the wound, the person's own biology and the care it receives. Care described here at a concept level includes sun protection, silicone gel or sheets (the best-supported non-invasive measure), moisturising, avoiding tension and re-injury, and time; targeted options include corticosteroid injections and pressure for raised or keloid scars, vascular laser for redness, fractional laser, microneedling or radiofrequency for texture, and surgical revision to refine some scars. Keloids are difficult, often require several measures, and recur commonly; surgery alone can worsen them. This page names no doses, strengths, device settings, energies or brands, and vitamin E and most 'natural' scar remedies have weak evidence. Richer and darker skin has a greater tendency to keloid and hypertrophic scarring and to post-inflammatory pigmentation, so extra care is needed. Any scar that grows beyond the original wound, tightens across a joint, shows signs of infection, or changes, bleeds, ulcerates or fails to heal should be assessed by a doctor. Results vary and are not guaranteed. The most suitable approach can only be determined by a thorough in-person assessment; you can verify a doctor's registration on the Singapore Medical Council public register.
Last medically reviewed: July 2026 by Dr Sandeep Uppal. This page is reviewed periodically and updated as understanding develops.