What should you know about cigarette burn scar healed?

Burns can alter collagen and pigment as the skin repairs itself. A scar may be smooth or indented, thick and firm, darker or paler than nearby skin, or tethered so movement feels tight. Its final appearance can continue to settle after the surface has closed. A healed scar is different from an open burn: ongoing drainage, increasing warmth, or a new break in the skin needs assessment.

The scar's location, depth, size, age, symptoms, and effect on movement guide the care plan. No single procedure suits every scar, and a darker or raised scar may need a different approach from a shallow uneven one.

Have the area examined if it is painful, itchy, tight, cosmetically distressing, or changing. Protect it from sun exposure and keep the skin moisturised if it is dry or fragile. Avoid picking, unregulated lightening products, and home resurfacing devices, which can irritate scar tissue or change its colour.

After assessment, options may include fractional laser treatment for selected texture changes, scar revision surgery for a scar that is troublesome or poorly positioned, or a skin graft when there is a larger area with inadequate skin coverage. The clinician should explain expected healing, possible pigment shifts, and whether more than one treatment stage may be needed.

Seek prompt care if a healed scar becomes increasingly painful, red, warm, swollen, ulcerated, or starts bleeding or draining. Arrange review for a new lump, persistent crust, or a change that does not settle, especially when the scar is old. These changes can have causes other than scar maturation and should be examined.

Ask: Is the scar fully healed? Is it raised, tethered, indented, or mainly a pigment change? Would laser treatment, scar revision surgery, or a graft address the main problem? How should I protect and moisturise it? Which changes require an urgent review?