A split lip scar is a lasting mark on the lip tissue, resulting from an injury that caused a tear or laceration. Given the lip’s exposed position and delicate skin, such injuries are common. The scar often remains visible.
How Split Lips Heal
The body repairs a split lip through three overlapping stages, leading to scar formation. The first stage, inflammation, involves blood clots forming to stop bleeding and immune cells clearing debris.
Following inflammation, the proliferation stage begins. Fibroblasts migrate into the wound, synthesizing collagen, a structural protein. This new granulation tissue fills the wound.
The final stage, remodeling, can last months or years as collagen reorganizes and strengthens. The body constructs fibrous tissue to close the wound, which differs from original lip tissue. The initial injury’s depth and nature influence the scar’s appearance.
Characteristics of Lip Scars
A split lip scar’s appearance varies based on several factors. Common characteristics include color variations, from reddish or purplish to paler or hyperpigmented. Scar texture can be smooth, raised, depressed, or lumpy.
Hypertrophic scars are raised and reddish, staying within the wound’s original boundaries. Keloids are also raised but extend beyond the initial injury site into healthy tissue. Atrophic scars appear sunken or depressed due to tissue loss. An individual’s healing, trauma severity, and lip location contribute to the scar’s final prominence.
Approaches to Scar Minimization
Minimizing a split lip scar’s visibility and improving its appearance involves several strategies, beginning with diligent immediate care. Proper wound cleaning is important to prevent infection, which can worsen scarring, and keeping the wound hydrated. Protecting the healing area from sun exposure is also important, as UV rays can cause hyperpigmentation and make the scar more noticeable.
Topical treatments improve scar texture and color. Silicone sheets or gels hydrate the scar, reduce collagen overproduction, and flatten raised scars with consistent application. Creams with ingredients like onion extract, vitamin E, or hyaluronic acid also promote healing and improve skin elasticity, though their efficacy varies.
For more pronounced scars, dermatological procedures offer targeted interventions. Laser therapy, using various types of lasers, addresses specific scar characteristics. Pulsed dye lasers reduce redness, while fractional lasers improve texture and stimulate collagen remodeling. Microneedling creates microscopic punctures in the skin to stimulate collagen production, smoothing the scar surface over time.
Dermal fillers, typically hyaluronic acid, are effective for depressed or atrophic scars by adding volume beneath the skin, leveling out the lip surface. For raised scars like hypertrophic or keloids, corticosteroid injections directly into the scar tissue flatten and soften them by reducing inflammation and collagen synthesis. In cases of severe or functionally impairing scars, surgical revision may be considered. Scar tissue is removed and the wound is meticulously re-sutured to create a less conspicuous line. Consulting a dermatologist or plastic surgeon is recommended to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.