All you need to know about this new scar treatment that helps improve your skin's healing abilities
Not scar-y at all
Got facial scars that you want to treat, stat? If you've tried all the tips that Google and beauty forums have to offer—from cocoa butter formula to laser therapy—but to no avail, today's interview might shed some light on a treatment that you can consider.
Instead of resorting to steroids and topical creams, why not treat your skin from within? Rejuran, a new wound-healing treatment made of polynucleotides derived from salmon DNA, has been touted as the new facial aesthetic treatment that is both effective and helpful in improving the skin's own regenerative properties. Below, we covered all the bases during a quick interview with aesthetician physician Dato’ Dr Liow Tiong Sin, who is also the Executive Director of Signature Clinic.
1. How do scars form and why do some stay while others fade with time?
When you cut or wound the skin, the body forms new collagen fibres to mend the damage. Sometimes this natural healing process leaves some scarring as the new collagen has a different texture or appearance from the skin surrounding it. Wounds that affect the dermis (deeper layer of the skin) take longer to heal and may involve many layers of collagen build-up, and this is what causes the appearance of visible scars. Damage that occurs only the top layer of the skin usually doesn't produce a scar.
Scarring often results from wounds from accidents, surgery, disease or skin conditions such as acne and chickenpox. The appearance of a scar depends on the type of wound and how it was produced, the location of the wound on the body, age, overall skin tone, and a variety of genetic factors that differ from person to person.
For example, older skin which contains less collagen and elasticity has a greater tendency to scar than younger skin. Very dark or very fair skin may be more prone to developing severe and visible scars. Scarring is also more likely to occur on certain parts of the body, say on your knee, a part of the body that is constantly moving.
2. How is Rejuran different from other scar treatments i.e. lasers?
Rejuran is a treatment containing polynucleotide (PN) or Polydeoxyribonucleotides (PDRN), one of the most powerful skin-healers available in the market today. Rejuran is injected into the skin and works by boosting your skin's own ability to heal wounds and reduce inflammation. This is the same kind of product that has been used in many cases to reverse injuries such as severe skin burns, chronic diabetic ulcers, osteoarthritis and spinal cord injuries. There are also studies that have shown how PN has the ability to reverse the signs of ageing in greying hair and in wrinkles around the eyes.
Lasers work by causing tiny injuries on the skin to encourage the skin to heal itself. The laser injury forces the skin to produce collagen and replace the damaged tissue with new cells. With lasers, the skin itself does all the work, and needs to be healthy enough to rejuvenate itself after the treatment.
There are also treatments such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma), microneedling, and microdermabrasion. PRP uses your body's own healing factors, harvested from your own blood, to encourage skin healing. Microneedling is done with a tool that is rolled across the skin to manually injure the skin. Microdermabrasion works by scrubbing away the top layers of dead skin from the surface, and encourage new, fresh skin to take its place.
3. Can these treatments be administered alongside Rejuran?
All these treatments are very useful to help the skin's natural rejuvenation and healing process, and many of them can be used in combination with Rejuran, for even better results. Treatments with ablative lasers and microneedling work better for deeper, more obvious scars, but a combination treatment that includes Rejuran can help the skin to look better and heal faster from the treatment.
4. Can a person with different kinds of scars undergo Rejuran? What are some of the factors to consider?
Rejuran has anti-inflammatory and advanced wound healing properties, and can be used to prevent the formation of scars. In a study of patients who underwent surgery, patients who underwent PN injections avoided the development of raised scars and had better scar surgery outcomes. In terms of existing scars, it can be useful for reducing the appearance and severity of certain scars such indented or discoloured skin areas.
Rejuran S combines PN with fillers to help fill up depressions on the skin surface, such as those left behind by chicken pox and acne. More severe types of scars including keloids (scars that are big and raised, often pigmented), hypertrophic scars (smaller than keloids but usually not outgrown) and contracture scars (scars that pull or tighten the skin) may benefit more from a combination therapy that includes lasers or other treatments).
5. How many rounds of Rejuran treatment should be undertaken to see effective results?
Just three sessions spaced one month apart is sufficient for noticeably reducing the appearance of scars, although the effects are visible as early as a day after the treatment once the redness and swelling has subsided. Scars appear lighter, smaller and less noticeable.
6. Please share with us how it is administered? What are some side effects or post-treatment results that might occur after?
The treatment involves shallow injections with a fine needle to any area of the face affected by scarring, including the forehead, cheeks, temples, upper and lower eyelids and around the mouth and nose. Numbing cream can be used, and some patients also opt for a painkiller to be added to the syringe to make the treatment even more comfortable.
During the treatment, ice packs and vibration therapy is also an option. Immediately after the treatment, temporary weals that resemble mosquito bites can be seen on the treated area, but they usually subside within a few hours.
7. What are some positive effects that patients can see after the treatment?
The patient should see the lightening of superficial scars and pigmentation, overall improvement in the skin condition such as better moisture levels in the skin, reduction of pore size, reduced oil levels for those with oily and acne-prone skin, and thickening of the epidermis.
8. Apart from treating scars, what other skin conditions can Rejuran treat?
Rejuran's anti-inflammatory properties makes it suitable for those who suffer from chronic inflammation of the skin resulting in acne scars. In addition to being able to balance moisture and oil levels in the skin, it can reduce pigmentation and wrinkles. As Rejuran is not a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler, it is suitable for those who may have experienced side effects from filler treatments or are not suitable for filler treatments. Some of my colleagues have even seen an improvement in certain skin conditions such as eczema.