Self-harm scars are different than other types of scars. They represent a time in your life when you were depressed, angry, scared, lonely, or maybe even all of the above. Even though your intentions were to hurt yourself at the time, you may regret doing so now as you look back on it. You so badly want to forget about this awful time in your life, yet you have to face the scars from your self-harm every day.

The good news is that self-harm scars do have one thing in common with other scars: the physiology behind how they form. Like any scar, self-harm scars form as the end result of the body’s wound healing process. As researchers are learning more and more about the intricacies of the body’s wound healing mechanisms, new products are being developed to prevent and treat scar formation. If you have self-harm scars, know that you aren’t alone. We want to provide you with information on how to heal your self-harm scars so that you can finally put those negative feelings in the past and feel confident in your body again!

CLASSIFYING SELF-HARM SCARS

The treatments available to help heal self-harm scars depend on the severity of your scarring. If your wound healed into a flat, pale scar, there’s a chance that it may fade over time. Even though these types of scars may fade on their own, there are topical treatments that we’ll discuss below that can help your scars fade faster.

On the other hand, if your wound healed into a raised, discolored scar, it is less likely that your scar will disappear. These scars can be classified as either hypertrophic scars or keloids. Hypertrophic scars are caused by the excess production of collagen during the wound healing process, resulting in a scar that is raised and red in appearance. Keloid scars are also formed due to an uninhibited production of collagen, but the feature that distinguishes keloids from hypertrophic scars is their growth past the original scar boundary. These scars are raised, turn from red to brown, and often have a lumpy appearance. Keloids are especially concerning because if left untreated they can continue to thicken and grow indefinitely.

TREATMENTS TO HEAL SELF-HARM SCARS

There are several treatment options to remove or reduce the appearance of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Unfortunately, the majority of them are invasive procedures that require a medical professional, such as intralesional corticosteroid injections, cryosurgery, excision, radiation therapy, or laser therapy. Your self-harm scars may cause you to be embarrassed or worried about seeing your doctor, particularly if you have not consulted with healthcare professionals over harming in the past. Luckily, there is a way to completely heal your self-harm scars without the need to receive treatments or prescriptions from your doctor. The treatment we’re talking about is silicone, which comes as a topical gel, sheeting, strips, and shapes to cover and heal your scar.

Silicone has been used for more than 30 years in the treatment of scars. In fact, experts consider silicone gel to be the gold standard for both the prevention and treatment of scars. Silicone gel safely heals wounds by providing them with the hydration, occlusion, and support needed to prevent scar formation. According to a publication in the journal Advances in Wound Care, one of the advantages of silicone gel is the easy administration, even for sensitive skin and in children. It can be applied to irregular skin or scar surfaces, the face, moving parts (joints and flexures) and any size of scar. Numerous clinical studies have shown that silicone gel and sheeting are considered the first-line therapy to manage and minimize scarring.

WHERE TO FIND SILICONE GEL

You may see silicone gel products online or in pharmacies, but you won’t find a greater variety of silicone scar treatment products than the NewGel+ collection. You can choose from silicone gel strips, sheets and shapes, or two tube sizes of topical silicone gel, all of which have been clinically proven to soften, flatten, and fade your scar. No matter where your self-harm scar is located, NewGel+ has a product to fit your unique scar needs. 

Not sure which NewGel+ product to buy? Click here to use our product selection guide to find the best treatment for you!