Dakota, Rebeca, Alisia, Ana, Jennifer Scabs & Scars Dakota, Rebeca, Alisia, Ana, Jennifer

What is a scar and a scab? Scar- A mark left from a wound that couldn’t heal properly. Scab- A temporary shield of a wound until new skin is made.

Formation of a scab When a blood vessel is broken, the clotting starts to begin. Components in the blood like platelets stick to the area of the wounds along with red blood cells to form a clot. It is accompanied by fibrin strands.(a protein in the blood involved in clotting) Fibrin is created when thrombin (an enzyme in blood plasma) converts fibrinogen( a protein involved in the making of clotting) into fibrin. These fibrin strands create a mesh for more blood cells to adhere to the injured area. At the same time, white blood cells are in the wound preventing potential infection. The clot then eventually contracts to draw broken ends together for more effective healing. With time, the clot hardens and forms a protective layer of crust known as a scab.

Formation of a scar Like a scab, the start of a scar begins with clotting. As the blood is clotting, the wounds becomes inflamed due to white blood cells preventing infection. Fibroblasts then enter the wound dropping off collagen fibers which forms connective tissue to replace what was there before the wound. The dermis and epidermis then contract and connect to close the wound forming a scar. The scar will be smaller that the original lesion and the skin will be weaker and less flexible than the surrounding tissue.

Scars continued... There are some scars that don’t form as well as others. During the process, overproduction of collagen can occur causing the formation of thick red scars that don’t mature properly. These are known as hypertrophic scars. They remain red and raised, but can be improved with treatment.

Scar formation visual. https://youtu.be/gRXTcFKHBUY

The End =]