Having a visible scar is not inevitable.

As the dermatologist Marie Jourdan explains in Sans Rendez-vous on Europe 1, several gestures can help healing at best and ensure that the injury is seen as little as possible.

A scar that is too visible can sometimes embarrass its wearer.

Fortunately, as dermatologist Marie Jourdan explains on Europe 1, there are a lot of little tips to help you best take care of your scar so that it does not remain too red or blistered.

If each skin is different and will react in a unique way to healing, there is always something possible to do.

However, the inflammatory phase of healing must be approached with caution.

The main thing is above all to avoid tension.

Do not apply tension 

In the healing process, the circumstances of the blockade will matter and surgeons can take precautions to aid in healing.

"When the operation is not done urgently, the surgeons will add deep threads to avoid tension on the surface. The type of thread can also play but it is a little unpredictable," explains Dr. Marie Jourdain.

The professional will also have put "creams, dressings so that healing goes well".

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But once out of the block, "there is a great inter-individual variability that cannot be predicted. There are also all the movements, tensions that will interact, and care that will not necessarily be done as it was necessary ", recognizes Marie Jourdan.

It is therefore up to the patient to be careful not to aggravate the situation by following the advice of the doctors.

Massaging a surgical scar early can help "but you have to get used to it so as not to exert tension and risk enlarging it. It is a very careful massage, even prescribed by the physiotherapist".

Maceration in a fatty body and suffocation of the scar 

More generally, one of the first steps to take is to ensure "that the wound is always a little damp. It is necessary to macerate in a disinfected environment with a fatty substance", recommends the dermatologist.

Dabbing or using a dry bandage, as some parents may believe, is a bad idea. 

In the inflammatory phase, after a week, there is an interest in "applying very heavy silicone gels to suffocate the scar and prevent it from becoming hypertrophic and bloating", advises Marie Jourdan.

It can also work with patches.

More surprisingly, honey has an antiseptic side that will "decrease attacks on the wound during healing. The sugar will give an absorbent side, it will absorb the exudate of the wounds. It is something that can be used when we are really desperate. "  

Pay attention to the evolution of scar pigmentation and harmonize it

Massage can also help, once out of the inflammatory phase, "to release adhesions and take it off the deep level", according to Marie Jourdan.

But overall, when the scar becomes old, the possible actions are reduced.

However, faced with a scar that is too dark or too light, depigmenting creams or exposure to the sun can help to harmonize with the color of the skin.

However, exposure to the sun should be avoided "during the inflammatory phase because if the red scar is exposed it will pigment", warns the dermatologist.

Using anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids for slightly raised scars may be helpful, but care should be taken when taking them.

Taken in the inflammatory phase, they will have the opposite effect, especially in high doses.

Indeed, "the inflammatory phase is useful. If we take anti-inflammatory drugs we have a decline in the immune system when we needed it, we will end up with a much longer healing and often atrophic, very fine and very brilliant ", warns Marie Jourdan.

The laser an effective solution in the short and long term

There remains one last solution which is the use of laser, the specialty of Marie Jourdan.

Several lasers exist depending on the type of scars and they allow "to take charge of a scar, even 20 years later".

And according to the dermatologist, this always allows some progress.

However, social security support remains fairly low and the action costs around 200 to 350 euros depending on the scar.

The laser can also have early utility "to accompany the healing phenomenon and optimize it" by sending the right information.

This can be done "on the day when the threads are removed", or when leaving the "operating room, just after having sutured for optimal healing", explains the dermatologist.

In the Netherlands, a study showed that "doing a laser the day before surgery" could have benefits because it prepares the skin by sending it messages.

And this action of the laser makes it very useful.