Over the counter: Types of scars and treatment

When a deep wound, burn or sore heals, it often leaves a cutaneous scar. Superficial wounds (i.e. wounds that are confined to the stratum corneum and epidermis and do not reach the reticular dermis) generally do not cause scarring. While the global incidence is unknown, data shows that across developed countries, approximately 100 million people will acquire a scar in a calendar year. Scars can be the result of a range of cutaneous injuries, such as physical trauma, surgery, burns, vaccinations, cosmetic piercings, folliculitis, insect bites and bacterial and viral infections. The formation of a scar is a part of the body's normal physiological response to wounding. Genetic predisposition, delayed wound healing and wound infection (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli) are risk factors for excessive scarring