Daily advice
Wounded skin is skin damaged by a superficial injury, irritation, or following surgery or any kind of aesthetic procedure. What can you do to help your skin repair itself as efficiently as possible?
A lesion can look different depending on how rough the knock and where it occurred. Cosmetic and surgical procedures can also cause skin lesions.
An ecchymosis occurs when small blood vessels in the skin rupture after an impact. Blood and red blood cells accumulate in neighbouring tissues and form a visible coloured spot on the skin’s surface. This bruise is often painful to the touch; the harder the knock, the more painful it is. The colour of an ecchymosis changes over time as the haemoglobin in the red blood cells is resorbed into the skin. The ecchymosis starts out red, then becomes black, blue and finally, green. At the end of the capillary repair process, it is yellow/brown and remains that colour for one to two weeks. But it can take longer if the lesion is large. The different colours correspond to the various stages the haemoglobin accumulated in the skin goes through as it breaks down.
An oedema — also called a bump — occurs when the skin swells at the place of impact. It can appear rapidly after the knock. It is triggered by a blood plasma effusion in the neighbouring tissues. Plasma is the fluid in which the red blood cells circulate inside the blood vessels.
A haematoma is the combination of an ecchymosis (bruise) and an oedema (bump). The first thing you should do is to apply compression and ice to the area impacted or to speed up elimination with targeted active ingredients before seeing a doctor, if necessary.
Be proactive about your treatment, be consistent and do the exercises while also respecting the fragility of your skin. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.
How quickly your damaged skin repairs itself depends on the seriousness of the wound, your age, general health and lifestyle. During the healing process, you may well experience disagreeable or even painful sensations that are uncomfortable. They can have an aesthetic impact. These symptoms are a natural part of healing and vary depending on the different stages of the process. But for the scar to be as discrete as possible, it needs to be looked after correctly with adapted repairing care.
Some of the sensations you might feel as your wound heals:
The key to skin repair is achieving the finest, least sensitive and visible scar possible. Scarring quality depends on different factors including your skin type, health and if you smoke. The way you look after your damaged skin will also play a key role in the healing process. Here are some tips for optimised healing.
1. Clean the fragile area with water and soap or saline solution, disinfect if necessary.
2. Apply healing cream every day, once the wound has dried and the skin has come together.
3. Don’t scratch the scab, otherwise the skin’s repair process will have to start all over again. As well as the risk of infection, you’ll increase the likelihood of scarring. If the desire to scratch becomes too much, apply an icepack or gently tap a damp wash glove to soothe the skin. Make sure you don’t create any friction though.
4. Avoid exposing the area to the sun for 12 -18 months in line with advice from your healthcare professional. For areas naturally exposed to the sun, it’s recommended to apply scar healing cream with high sun protection to avoid the risk of hyperpigmentation. Alternatively, you could keep a bandage on. For small children, an anti UV tee-shirt is also an option. Every time you go in the water, remember to reapply high-factor sun protection afterwards.
It’s not only at the beach in the summer that your skin is exposed to the sun. Also remember to protect yourself in winter in the mountains or out and about in the city in spring or early summer.
Drink a lot of water and moisturise your skin with a soothing repairing cream.
Smoking slows the healing process – try to stop or limit the number of cigarettes.
Adopt a balanced diet and avoid drinking alcohol. You could consult a dietician for advice on food supplements to take before or after your procedure. Don’t start a diet without consulting a healthcare professional first, particularly after giving birth, as it’s important to avoid deficiencies to optimise the healing process – which requires proteins, vitamin B5, C and A, omega 3 and 6.
Adapt the way you dress, opting for comfortable clothes with no seams and wireless underwear. Support stockings may be recommended especially after giving birth.
Physical exercise isn’t forbidden but should be gentle, involving no more than moderate effort. Don’t jeopardise the healing process and risk reopening the wound. Remember to rest and respect the 15-21 days it takes for the skin to repair itself. Don’t ask too much of your skin during this period.
If you have questions, get in touch with an appropriate healthcare professional - as often as necessary. If you feel self-conscious about your scar or overwhelmed after giving birth (postpartum depression occurs after 10% of births), ask for psychological help. This is a common phenomenon, so make sure you get the support you need.
Wound healing… if you tug too soon it doesn’t work and the skin healing process will be even longer!
Following surgery, you often have to wear a bandage or dressing for a while. Healthcare professionals will choose the most appropriate one based on the needs of your skin and wound*. However, for more minor injuries resulting in a superficial lesion, it’s usually better to leave them open to the air to encourage a scab to form. There is no hard-and-fast rule and it’s important to take into account the seriousness of the skin damage and where it is on the body. Always ask for advice from your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Never minimise the seriousness, monitor any changes in the scar and don’t hesitate to visit your local pharmacy for advice.
Massaging your scar is recommended to minimise its appearance. Physiotherapists often take care of post-surgery scarring, as well as scars that are traumatological (following a fracture, for example) or rheumatological (particularly with prostheses). Just like midwives, they can also look at scarring following a caesarean or focus on perineal and abdominal re-education.
Massaging helps reabsorb the scar tissue, avoid adhesion and, if the lesion is on a joint, recover mobility. When the skin repairs itself, it makes replacement cutaneous cells. But this all-new skin can stick to muscles, bones, tendons and neighbouring tissues. Referred to as ‘adhesions’, this occurs deep in the skin and has an impact on the suppleness of the repaired skin.
How do you massage your scar? Here’s some advice from Marie-Laure Benicourt-Lemoine, physiotherapist, and Camille Tallet, midwife.
First of all, wash and dry your hands carefully.
Apply healing cream to your scar to facilitate the massage.
Make the skin more supple by gently pressing.
Follow the ‘palpate and roll’ method:
Massage your scar for 5 minutes twice a day, but only when the lesion has fully closed – this is usually 2-3 weeks after surgery. Keep massaging the scar for the period of time indicated by your healthcare professional.
Massaging a scar for 5 minutes isn’t much. But it’s hugely beneficial for the healing process – and investment for the future!
Massaging an episiotomy scar is very different from massaging a caesarean or post-surgery scar. Camille Tallet, midwife, explains that you need to ‘place your thumb inside the vulva and the index finger outside. Move your thumb leaving your index finger where it is. Then move the index finger, leaving the thumb where it is. Complete this movement from right to left and also up and down.’
Don’t hesitate to ask your midwife or physiotherapist to accompany you.
If the healing process following a caesarean or episiotomy is painful, don’t hesitate to consult a healthcare professional. Specialist apparatus – like LPG medical, radiofrequency or photo-biomodulation – can be used under medical supervision to help the skin repair itself.
Hygiene is essential. You need to wash the wound regularly and ensure your hands are clean before touching it. Avoid scratching and never pull off the scab as it’s essential for protecting the lesion. Without it, the risk of infection increases.
If the scar remains red and swollen or starts to ooze, don’t touch it. Take your temperature. These are perhaps the first signs of infection, so consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Monitor any changes in the colour of your skin lesion. If it is pink, this is completely normal. But if you notice any yellow or green, there may be an infection. Opt for colourless cleansing products to see any colour changes more easily. If in doubt, consult a healthcare professional.
Irritated damaged skin
Antalgicine™ technology
Both repairing and soothing cream.
For all the family (except prematures)
Weakened sensitive skin exposed to the sun
Antalgicine™ technology
The very high sun protection repairing cream that prevents scar marks & hyperpigmentation.
For all the family (except prematures)
