Ayurveda Treatment for Scars works internally by purifying the blood and externally by nourishing the skin. Scars can happen anywhere in the body regardless of age or gender. Other than complications, the cosmetic issue it is causing can be intimidating especially in youngsters. In reality, scars are a natural part of the body’s healing process. A scar is manifested as a result of the biological process of wound healing and repair in the skin and the surrounding tissues. Most wounds, except for very minor ones, result in some degree of scarring. Scars can occur from any bad event like accidents, diseases, or any skin condition such as acne, or unavoidable treatment options like surgeries. Some scars can be managed by therapies to an extent but most of them are incurable. Covering or hiding them can help in the presentation.
Signs and symptoms of Scars
Scars come in many shapes and sizes.
Cicatrix – It starts as a scar, pink to reddish and slightly raised. It can be itchy or painful too. As the healing continues, the scar flattens and changes in colour. In time, many flat scars are nearly the same colour as the skin. A flat scar may also be paler or slightly darker than the surrounding skin.
Hypertrophic scar-This scar rises above the surface of the skin.
Atrophic scar- below the surface of skin or depressed.
Keloid- This scar rises above the surface of the skin. Not like other raised scars, keloids can spread into an area much larger than the wound that caused the scar.
Causes of Scars
A scar forms when the body heals an injury like burns, cuts, etc.
Some skin conditions like Epidermolysis bullosa and hidradenitis suppurativa can also cause scars.
Pathophysiology of Scars
Scarring is a natural part of the healing process after an injury. Its appearance and development depend on many factors. When the deeper layers of skin are injured, cells make collagen to repair the wound. Because the body makes this collagen quickly, it’s thicker and less flexible than the rest of the skin. The thicker, less flexible tissue is a scar.
Diagnosis of Scars
Visually diagnosed by a physical examination
Treatments of Scars
Silicone gel (sheet or ointment)
Polyurethane dressing
Laser treatment
Corticosteroid injections
Cryosurgery
Radiation
Prognosis of Scars
The scar will never completely go away. But some measures can help reduce its size and change its appearance.
Complications of Scars
Infections
Emotional Stress
Ayurvedic Concept of Scars
Removing scars comes under the name Vaikrutaapaham described in Ayurveda while explaining the post-operative management. It explains the possibilities to manage a scar after a surgical procedure.
Ayurvedic Nidana of Scars
Kshata – injury (can be accidental or due to any disease like kushtha or induced as part of surgery etc.)
Ayurvedic Purvaaroopa of Scars
Not mentioned separately
Ayurvedic Samprapti of Scars
When the Vaata & Pitta gets vitiated on the site of injury, the skin wounded gets abnormal discolouration & inflammation. Kapha causes swelling and hardness. After the injury, a scar is formed due to all three doshas get stuck & vitiated at the site causing discolouration & thickened skin.
Ayurvedic Lakshana of Scars
Discolouration of skin
Raised skin/thickened skin areas with well-defined or poor defined margins
Ayurvedic Divisions of Scars
Not mentioned
Ayurvedic Prognosis of Scars
Kricchrasadhya or Yaapya
Ayurvedic Treatment (Chikithsa) for Scars
Tissue repair and wound healing are very important sections in Shallyatantra in Ayurveda. Details are in Sushruta Samhita where Varana and vranaropana(wound and its management) are elaborated with sixty treatment modalities of wound care & wound healing. This is called shashtirupakrama(60 fold treatments) for stepwise instructions on therapies for wound healing.
Vaikrutapaham(getting rid of ugliness/abnormality) is the last stage explained, regarding the management of scars with or without discolouration. It can be done by various methods namely,
Krishnakarma – blackening of a white cicatrix by medicines like bhallataka, gomootra etc.
Pandukarma – bringing back the normal skin colour to a dark/black scar by using specially prepared medicines with rohiniphala, goat’s milk, kapittha fruit, goat’s urine, kasisa, rasanjana, arjuna etc
Pratisarana -rubbing the area with powder made from the shell of hen’s egg, kataka, madhuka, pearl oyster etc mixed with cow’s urine.
Romasanjanana – producing hair by using medicines with burnt ash of ivory, rasanjana etc.
Lomaapaharana/Lomapaatana – removal of hair using medicines like conch shell, haritaala etc.
Samana
Swedanam
Lepanam with Rookshana dravyas
Varnyalepas
Parisheka with varnyakashayas
Abhyanga with varnya oils
Sodhana
Virechana
Commonly used Ayurvedic Medicines for Scars
Drakshadi kashayam
Shonithamrutham Kashayam
Saribadyasavam
Nimbasavam
Eladi choornam
Manjishthadi choornam/kashayam
Brands available
AVS Kottakal
AVP Coimbatore
SNA oushadhasala
Vaidyaratnam oushadhasala
Home remedies for Scars
Apple cider vinegar
Aloe vera
Tea tree oil
Turmeric
Milk
Honey
Extra virgin coconut oil
Diet for Scars
- To be avoided
Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.
Junk foods- cause disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine
Carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digestion
Refrigerated and frozen foods – causes weak and sluggish digestion by weakening Agni (digestive fire)
Milk and milk products – increase kapha, obstruct channels and obesity
Curd – causes vidaaha and thereby many other diseases
- To be added
Light meals and easily digestible foods
Green gram, soups, fresh fruits and vegetables
Freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain etc
Behaviour:
Protect yourself from extreme climate changes.
Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight wind rain or dust.
Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.
Avoid holding or forcing the urges like urine, faeces, cough, sneeze etc.
Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Be active
Yoga for Scars
Regular stretching and mild cardio exercises are advised. Also, specific yogacharya including naadisuddhi pranayama, bhujangaasana, pavanamuktasana is recommended.
Regular exercise helps improve the bioavailability of the medicine and food ingested and leads to positive health.
Yoga can maintain harmony within the body and with the surrounding system.
Pavanamuktasana
Nadisudhi pranayama
Bhujangasana
Simple exercises for lungs and heart health
All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.
Research articles on Scars
- PMID: 30793408
The study was done to evaluate the long‐term patient‐reported quality of burn scars. Adults with a burn centre admission of ≥1 day between August 2011 and September 2012 were invited to complete a questionnaire on long‐term consequences of burns. The vast majority reported at least minor differences with normal skin (POSAS item score ≥2) on one or more scar characteristics and 78.9% of the patients’ overall opinion was that their scar deviated from normal skin. Patients with severe burns had higher POSAS scores, representing worse scar quality than patients with mild/intermediate burns, except for colour, which was high in both groups. A longer hospital stay predicted reduced scar quality in multivariate analyses. In addition, the female gender was also associated with a poorer overall opinion of the scar. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into long‐term scar quality. Scars differed from normal skin in a large part of the burn population more than 5 years after burns, especially in those with severe burns.