What causes scarring injuries and how are they classified?

Scars are permanent–they don’t go away. The most common scarring injuries are caused by burns and their medical treatment, lacerations such as jagged wounds and cuts caused by broken glass, and facial injuries that can be permanently disfiguring. The different types of scars are:

• Keloid scar: These develop when thick scar tissue spreads beyond the original wound. They start out red or pink and are raised and bumpy, but eventually turn to a tan color.
• Hypertrophic scar: These are similar to keloid scars, but they don’t expand beyond the area of the wound.
• Contractures: These scars are often the result of skin grafts. When scarred skin is repaired, the graft may not be as elastic as the original skin, limiting mobility.