Scars are the physical manifestations that wounds are properly healed. The type and extent of the scar is dependent on how deep the wound is and how a person's system produces scar tissue. Scar tissue is not only present on the outside where you see the scar, but also in the deep layers of the skin.Therefore, the deeper the wound is, the deeper the scar will be also.In today's society, wound care methods that prevent excessive scar formation are becoming increasingly important, especially now that more people expect a healed wound without a noticeable scar or formation of keloids.Keloids are raised overgrowths of scar tissue that occur at the site of a skin injury. They occur where trauma, surgery, blisters, vaccinations, acne or body piercing have injured the skin. Less commonly, keloids may form in places where the skin has not had a visible injury. Keloids differ from normal mature scars in composition and size. Some people are prone to keloid formation and may develop them in several places.When a keloid is associated with a skin incision or injury, the scar tissue continues to grow for a time after the original wound has closed, becoming larger and more visible until it reaches a final size. It usually appears in areas of previous injury, but may extend beyond the injured area.Keloids are shiny, smooth and rounded skin elevations that may be pink, purple or brown. They can be doughy or firm and rubbery to the touch, and they often feel itchy, tender or uncomfortable. A large keloid in the skin over a joint may interfere with joint function.Unfortunately, there is no treatment for keloids that works 100 per cent. All the treatments are tentative, and vary in effectiveness. There are many invasive but more effective treatments like surgery, laser, excision, steroid injections, and cryosurgery. However, the problem with these treatments, especially surgery, is that keloids can recur and become larger.Honey has been used not only for food but also as a traditional medicine.Recently, honey has gained public attention due to its potential ability in treating diseases and also in promoting health and well-being.Researchers in a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggested that regular application of honey for a few weeks can cure deep scars or keloids too. They found that Tualang honey decreased the number of proliferated cells in the keloid, thus may help prevent the formation of keloid scars.According to the researchers, 'the positive effect of Tualang honey to keloid fibroblasts suggest the role of Tualang honey in minimising scarring.'For the study, the researchers made an extract of Tualang honey by using methanol which they later evaporated. They, then, took the honey extract and used it on samples taken from consenting donors who had sought treatment for their scars. Some of the scars were 'normal' fibroblasts while some were keloids.Tualang honey is made by bees from the Tualang tree. These are tropical rainforest trees that grow throughout Malaysia.The researchers found that when they applied the honey extract to skin samples that contained keloid scars the skin was less likely to continue to 'grow' the keloid scars. The anti-proliferation effect of the Tualang honey continued for 72 hours. And, the stronger concentrations of the honey were more effective and lasted longer than weaker extracts.But the researchers pointed out based on the result of their study that even though honey is found to have the ability to reduce scar, its recurrence may occur, adding that they are not sure why this happened. However, they think that fatty acids that occur naturally in the honey may be the 'active' components.Several compounds were detected and identified from honey extracts, some of which may induce the anti-proliferative effects on keloid fibroblasts.They wrote, 'In conclusion, the effort to treat keloid fibroblasts using traditional medicine such as honey should be pursued as it responds positively to Tualang honey treatment.'In previous finding, honey was proven to be a very effective agent for slowing the spread of some types of skin cancers and bladder cancer cell lines under laboratory conditions. In addition, previous clinical studies have suggested that the positive effect of honey or sucrose may involve minimising keloids.There are some other remedies for keloids like applying crushed garlic, vitamin E oil or serum of land snail on the keloids everyday may also help to repair damaged cells and regenerate tissues.Vitamin C, in particular is useful in restoring the normal level of collagen and connective tissues in the body, thereby helping in relieving this problem. Hence, taking judicious amounts of citrus fruits like orange, lemon and sweet lime is highly beneficial in healing Keloid scars.
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