Here’s why knowing your Fitzpatrick Skin Type is important. If you get a raised or discolored scar, you have to go through this ordeal like me. I have 2 scars that have not healed well. I’ll be testing these Scarguard MD treatments on them over the next 2 months.

1. Scarguard (on left) is for a raised scar on my ear. I hope this will flatten the scar.

The raised scar is 19 months old, so we’ll see if a treatment can make a difference now. This silicone gel scar treatment is best for new scars.

2. Scarlight (on right) is for a discolored scar on my foot. I hope this will lighten the color of the scar.

This lightening treatment contains 2% Hydroquinone as its active ingredient. Be careful about Hydroquinone if you have a darker skin tone (Fitzpatrick Type 4-6). Hydroquinone at concentrations over 2% can cause undesirable color changes on darker skin tones. It is also a controversial ingredient for its potential to cause irritation or allergy in some people. I don’t have any issues, so this treatment is fine for me.

Both bottles come with a brush (like a nail polish bottle), which makes it easy to apply the treatment on specific areas of skin.

Photos at Day 0 (Before Treatment)

Raised Scar

This scar on my ear was due to a 2 cm laceration that required stitches. The scar healed into a line. Over time, the scar became more raised and wider. This is known as hypertrophic scarring, which is a risk for Fitzpatrick Types 4-6 and some Type 3’s (me).

It is normal for a wound of this sort to slowly remodel itself over a couple years. So the hypertrophic scarring is not unusual in my skin type.

Raised scar, 5 months after injury

Raised scar, 5 months after injury

Raised scar, 19 months after injury. Note there is more scar tissue. The line is less delineated.

Raised scar, 19 months after injury. Note there is more scar tissue.

Other ear, uninjured (for comparison)

Other ear, uninjured (for comparison)

Discolored Scar

This scar was due to a minor, superficial scratch on my foot, from hitting it against a door. The scratch was so innocuous, it barely bled. But look at what it did!

The scratched healed right away (skin closed), but it led to a discolored scar. The discoloration also exceeded the initial border of the scratch, which was a line.

You can read more about this scar here and what I could’ve done to prevent the discoloration.

Discolored scar, initially a line

Discolored scar, initially a skinny line, which got wider over time.

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