Its ability to fight bacteria can be helpful, especially if a wound is prone to infection. Preventing infection is crucial for minimizing scar formation and ensuring healthier healing. Tea tree oil can also have anti-inflammatory effects, which can help with red, raised scars, like hypertrophic ones.
Cryotherapy (cryosurgery) uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and break down scar tissue. This safe method helps flatten and soften hypertrophic scars. Studies show a significant reduction in scar size after just one session.
Some people use certain essential oils — such as Helichrysum, lavender, or tea tree oils — on the skin to promote wound healing and reduce the appearance of scars. While there has been little research into the effects of essential oils on scars, these oils may be helpful complements to traditional treatments.
However, studies related to its safety are a little less prevalent. One can use tea tree oil safely during pregnancy as indicated, properly diluted and never consumed.
The treatment for keloid and hypertrophic scars involves a course of steroid injections to help soften and flatten as well as relieve the symptoms of pain or itching. The application of silicone in sheet or gel form may also be advised, to help reduce the size or restrict the growth of the keloid or hypertrophic scar.
Intralesional corticosteroid injections may fully resolve a hypertrophic scar. Hypertrophic scars typically flatten on their own within several months to a year.
In general, keeping a hypertrophic or keloid scar moist will help to alleviate symptoms. Any topical moisturizer (Eucerin®, aloe vera, Vaseline®, mineral oil, etc.) applied several times each day is recommended.
Tea tree oil applied to the skin is thought to be safe for most people. But some people develop an allergic rash. Tea tree oil is not safe to take by mouth. It is not recommended for use in the ears, because it may cause damage to the inner ear.
Tea tree oil is a fantastic skincare ingredient that's generally considered safe for your face, but with some ground rules. Because it's so strong, you should never put it directly on your face by itself. You should only use it once it's been diluted with water or some kind of carrier oil.
Safety and side effects
However, tea tree oil can cause: Skin irritation. Allergic skin rash, also called dermatitis. Itching.
Steroid Injections
Dermatologists may inject a corticosteroid solution directly into a hypertrophic scar or keloid, which may help reduce its size. Steroids break the bonds between collagen fibers, which reduces the amount of scar tissue beneath the skin.
In addition, Castor Oil is highly moisturising and has been seen to repair damaged skin cells, nourish healing tissue and help purge dead skin cell build-up. It's also known to soothe the skin, even its complexion and break down scar tissue. Castor Oil is great to use as a skin serum.
It is recommended to perform scar massage on a daily basis to have the greatest affect on scar development, pain reduction, and scar mobility.
Keloid vs. Normal Scar. While hypertrophic scars and keloids both result from excessive collagen production, they behave quite differently. A hypertrophic scar remains within the original wound boundaries and often improves spontaneously over 1–2 years, though it rarely returns to completely normal skin.
To ensure full coverage, a more heavyweight foundation is recommended. Similar to atrophic scars, hypertrophic scars require texture correction to see a noticeable difference. In this case, we would want to apply a texture-filling product around the raised areas to minimize the disparity in surface level.
In-vitro studies have demonstrated that retinoids can modulate collagen production and the proliferation of normal and keloidal fibroblasts. In-vivo application of topical retinoic acid 0.05% can lead to reduction of hypertrophic scars in 50-100% of patients and reduction of keloids in fewer than 20% of patients.
You can use tea tree oil on your skin every day, but first dilute it with coconut oil, jojoba oil, or argan oil. At full strength, tea tree oil can cause dryness and blisters. To be safe, try it out on a small area of your skin before using it on your whole face to make sure you don't have a reaction.
Essential oils on their own are very powerful, so it's important to dilute them. Applying undiluted tea tree oil could cause harmful skin reactions and side effects such as rashes, blisters, or dryness that could make eczema symptoms worse.
Our data showed that only a small quantity of TTO components, 1.1–1.9% and 2–4% of the applied amount following application of a 20% TTO solution and pure TTO, respectively, penetrated into or through human epidermis. The largest TTO component penetrating the skin was terpinen-4-ol.
Yes, you can leave tea tree oil on your face overnight, but it should be used cautiously and in a diluted form. Pure tea tree oil is very potent and can be irritating or drying if applied directly to the skin, especially in sensitive areas like the face.
It's a good idea to cleanse and dry your skin before you use tea tree oil. Apply the oil immediately afterwards and then follow it up with a soothing moisturiser.
Pure tea tree oil contains high concentrations of active compounds like terpinen-4-ol, which give it antimicrobial properties but also make it highly potent. When applied directly to skin, these compounds can disrupt the skin's natural barrier function and cause immediate chemical irritation.
Cryotherapy (Freezing)
Cryotherapy involves freezing the hypertrophic scar with liquid nitrogen to destroy the excess collagen in the scar tissue. This technique helps flatten raised scars and is often used for more minor hypertrophic scarring that has not responded to other treatments.
Topical silicon gel is safe and effective treatment for hypertrophic and keloidal scars. It is easy to apply and cosmetically acceptable.
Topical Treatments with Retinoids: Retinoid-based creams are known to increase cell turnover and fade dark scars faster. Chemical Peels: Chemical peels can remove dead skin cells and lighten scars. They are particularly effective for dark scars on the face or body.