Besides being undesirable by some patients due to their visual appearance, scars also represent areas of disrupted functioning. Scar tissue tends to be more dense and less elastic. Since scar tissue is quite different than normal skin, the normal activity in this area is impaired. Injured neurons can improperly heal and fuse, which can cause reduced nerve signal transduction. A resultant decrease in normal nervous system function can also occur. Pooling of waste materials that would normally be carried away and broken down is disrupted. Scar tissue can also cause injured nerves to continuously fire pain signals to areas that nerve should supply. The collagen in a scar can anchor it to muscles and tendons underneath, limiting their normal range of motion. Scar tissue injections look to normalize these issues.
What are Scar Tissue Injections?
Injection treatment for scars involves the superficial injection of 1% procaine into and around the scarred area of skin. Results of this therapy can include: a visible softening and shrinking of the scar, a detachment of the scar from structures it is adhered to underneath, a normalizing of the nervous activity within the scar area, and sometimes pain reduction to areas on the body the scar may be interfering with.
What are the treatment goals of Scar Tissue Injections?
Treatment goals are to reduce the appearance of the scar, reduce or eliminate pain, and remove any interference it is providing to proper movement or function. Treatment course is usually once per week until improvement, which can be within 2-6 treatments. Patients can expect a mild stinging sensation as the substance is injected. Often the injection sites remain puffy or raised for a period of time, and there may be slight bruising at some sites. To date there have been no cases of allergic reaction to procaine, but there can be a histamine response (redness and itching) for up to a day after treatment as the tissue effectively detoxifies and releases its “waste cache” for the system to break down.