202-210 462 edriss_ PAGINA TIPO

Scars are a result of the natural healing process that occurs when the skin repairs itself after wounds, trauma, burns, surgical incision, or disease. Normal skin tissue is replaced with scar tissue to close open wounds and prevent infection. Scars can be painful, cause itching, and limit mobility. Many scars are primarily a cosmetic concern, but their presence may have a significant negative impact on the affected individual’s self-esteem. Consequently, patients often seek treatment to reduce the visibility and discomfort of a scar. There are several types of scars, two of the commonest being hypertrophic and keloid scars. In the medical literature, a hypertrophic scar is generally described as an overgrowth of scar tissue that remains within the boundaries of a wound. The wound boundary shrinks as more scar tissue forms. Currently, no objective diagnostic criteria have been formulated to indicate when a scar can be considered hypertrophic. Keloid scars are densely collagenous, nonencapsulated, benign connective tissue neoplasms. The size and shape of keloid scars have little correlation with the extent of the skin wound. Large disfiguring tumours often result from minimal skin trauma. Keloid scars, unlike hypertrophic scars, have a genetic aetiology. A commonly taught but confusing concept is that keloids can be distinguished from hypertrophic scars by the extension of the scar beyond the wound border. This concept implies that a scar starts out as a hypertrophic scar and later becomes a keloid, when it has exceeded some vaguely defined wound boundary. Such a classification scheme sets the stage for confusion, particularly when one of the disorders is classified as an inheritable disease. Scientists investigating pathological scarring suggest that there are significant phenotypic differences between hypertrophic and keloid scars that may not be clinically obvious until they invade surrounding tissue. Therefore, while keloid scars are by definition hypertrophic, only a small percentage of large scars can be truly classified as keloid.