How to treat superficial skin wounds without leaving scars
Jan 25, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Wenmin
Introduction
In general, superficial wounds can be managed through timely wound cleaning, thorough disinfection, appropriate dressing, daily care, and medication, which may prevent scar formation. If the wound is deep or a scar has already formed and home treatments are ineffective, professional treatments such as laser therapy or microneedling may be used under a doctor's recommendation.
Generally, superficial wounds can be properly managed through timely wound cleaning, thorough disinfection, appropriate dressing, daily care, and medication, which may prevent scarring. A detailed explanation is as follows:
1. Timely wound cleaning
After sustaining a superficial wound, the wound should be immediately and gently rinsed with normal saline or clean water to remove surface dirt, blood, and foreign materials. This helps reduce wound contamination and lowers the risk of infection, laying a good foundation for subsequent wound management.
2. Thorough wound disinfection
After cleaning the wound, disinfectants such as povidone-iodine or alcohol should be used to thoroughly disinfect the wound. The purpose of disinfection is to kill surface bacteria and prevent infection.
3. Appropriate wound dressing
For deeper wounds or wounds with significant bleeding, appropriate dressing should be applied. Gently applying pressure with clean gauze or bandages helps stop the bleeding and promotes wound healing.
4. Daily care
During the wound healing process, scratching the wound or peeling off the scab should be avoided, as this may disrupt the healing process and increase the risk of scarring. Additionally, the wound should be kept dry, avoiding contact with water or other contaminants. Attention should also be paid to dietary adjustments, including increased intake of foods rich in vitamins and proteins, while avoiding spicy, irritating, greasy, or cold foods.
5. Medication use
After the wound has healed, medications such as asiaticoside cream, vitamin E cream, or combination heparin sodium and allantoin gel may be used under medical guidance as adjunctive treatments. These medications can inhibit scar proliferation and promote scar softening and flattening.
If the wound is deep or a scar has already formed and self-treatment proves ineffective, laser therapy may be considered under a doctor's recommendation. Laser treatment works by applying high heat generated by the laser to the skin, targeting and destroying scar tissue to restore a smooth skin surface and achieve scar removal effects. The typical reference cost for laser treatment is 3,000–6,000 yuan per session, with visible improvement generally observed 15–30 days after treatment. Possible side effects include skin redness and pain.
