Will we always have to live with scars?

[THE ISSUE of the psychological effects of scarring has come into the public consciousness over recent years – partially as the result of horrific scarring caused in a rash of acid attacks some years ago. For some people the result of a scar can be lifelong loss of confidence and in some cases even physical disability. The Scar Free Foundation – a medical charity that aims to eliminate scarring by understanding how scars form – says: “For some people, the impact of their scarring is life-long. Scars can affect appearance, the way people are able to use their bodies and also emotional wellbeing and self-esteem.”

The charity describes a scar as: “…a mark left on the skin after a wound or injury has healed. When the human body suffers an injury, a biological process to repair the wound is triggered. Scarring itself is the production of excessive amounts of connective tissue produced as the body reacts and repairs the wound. Our body’s priority is very much on fast wound closure rather than restoring the injured area to how it was previously. This imperfect process results in the creation of a scar.”

It continues: “We still have much to learn about wound healing and the way scars form. Improving our knowledge of the cellular processes of wound healing, and how a person’s genes can affect this process, will mean that in the future we will be able to intervene in the healing process to stop scars forming in the first place.”

In the meantime, while scars continue to cause physical and psychological distress, ways need to be explored to help victims deal with the effects. That can include compensation where the injury can be proved to have been caused by either negligence or malice. The causes are manifold, ranging from road accidents and accidents at work to assaults and even dog bites. Medical negligence is a further cause, whether that is by causing the injury itself or failure to take adequate steps to prevent excessive scarring.

Facial scarring gives cause to high levels of compensation – perversely, higher in women than in men and higher for young people than older, as it is thought they have to live the consequences for longer. Ultimately, of course, the aim is to eliminate scarring, which is the aim of the Scar Free Foundation.

As Professor Janet Lord, principal investigator at the Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research in Birmingham says: “Scar free healing within a generation…that’s what we’re about. Trying to understand the scarring process and, in doing so, prevent it.” q