Your elbows are a surprisingly vulnerable part of your body. You often hit them on something as you walk by, and when you trip and fall your elbows can often take the brunt of the fall. Bumps and bruises are one thing, but significant skin damage such as a laceration usually results in scarring.
When scarring does occur on the elbows, it is often worse than scarring on other parts of the body. Since the elbow is a joint, constant stretching of the skin can make scars wider and darker compared to scars away from joints. There are safe ways to fade and lighten elbow scars to make them less noticeable.
Watch out for Dangerous Skin Lighteners
Some products on the market promote themselves as skin lighteners, and they do work. However, they have potential side effects that make it dangerous to use the products. One example is hydroquinone, a popular ingredient in scar treatments. It works by inhibiting melanin, the substance that produces skin pigment. Although this does lead to a lighter skin tone, the product can be toxic especially in higher concentrations. Kojic acid is another popular skin lightening ingredient that works, but at also sometimes at a cost. It can cause heightened skin sensitivity and can increases the risk of allergic reactions.
Choose Products that Promote Skin Healing
One of the best ingredients to look for is vitamin C. It promotes healthy collagen production and fights free radicals which damage the skin cells. Vitamin C also decreases the excess pigmentation after skin injury that can lead to scars becoming darker and more visible than the surrounding skin.
Licorice root extract is another ingredient that helps to lighten elbow scars. Compounds in licorice inhibit melanin activity, which in turn fades abnormal skin pigmentation. However, it does not have the side effects of harsh ingredients such as Kojic acid or hydroquinone.
Do you have a question about your scar? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to answer.
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I have a scar over my elbow basically over my bone and it looks red but never bothers me but almost looks like it had scarred over a tissue. How would I make it look less noticeable?
Hi Julia, see our article on Scar Massage to soften this scar and make it less noticeable.