Scarring due to…

  • Injuries or surgery
  • Skin disorders such as acne and discoid lupus
  • Stretch marks
  • Self harm

Scarring of the skin is highly variable, depending on its cause. 
It may be associated with colour changes which can be effectively masked by camouflage cream. 

Some causes of skin scarring:

  • Injuries or surgery

  • Injuries of all kinds can cause scarring, especially if the injury is severe. The injury may accidental (such as a that caused by a severe burn, a dog bite, an assault or any other accident), or it may be due to self-harm or a result of a surgical operation. Scarring does not consist simply of colour changes in the skin, but causes thickening, thinning or other changes to the normal contour of the skin surface.

  • Skin disorders such as acne and discoid lupus

  • Skin disorders, especially severe acne of the face and trunk, can cause scarring. A less common scarring condition is called discoid lupus, which affects particularly sun-exposed areas such as the face and V of the neck.

Stretch marks 

  • Stretch marks are regarded by some experts as a special type of scarring following damage to collagen by stretching of the skin. Stretch marks are seen in teenagers following the growth spurt. In boys they occur particularly on the outer thighs and horizontally on the lower back. In girls they are seen on the thighs, bottom and chest, but there is much variation. Body builders may develop them over their shoulders. The stretch marks of pregnancy are seen on the abdomen and chest. Treatment of the skin with strong steroid creams may also cause localised stretch marks, for example in the thin skin in front of the elbows in young people with atopic eczema.
Colour changes due to scarring can be hidden with camouflage cream, but this cream cannot mask changes in the texture of the skin surface. 

Self harm

​Our advice: See an Expert
We strongly recommend booking an appointment to help with self harm scars as the selection of online skin camouflage colours and their application can be challenging.