Name: Steve W.
Status: Educator
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: September 2002
Question:
Could you please explain why scars remain in the skin. We
lose layers of dead skin and replace them with new skin cells so why are
they replaced in the damaged state when surely the genetic code that
controls the cells characteristics is not changed by the injury?
Replies:
Actually, the kind of tissue that forms is different than the other skin.
Scar tissue doesn't behave the same way as other skin does. These cells do
not slough off and are not replaced. They are formed from fibroblasts which
knit the skin together and fill in the empty space. This is why when you
have a deep cut or big area that needs repair, stitches are in order to make
the space filled in as small as possible, and as little scar tissue to form
as possible.
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