By Tender Skin International, Dermatology
A number of disorders affect your skin over the course of life. Some of the most common ones are the appearance of spots, scars and marks. While you may use these terms interchangeably to describe your skin condition, all three have different meanings and significance.
Here is a look at the distinguishing features of spots, mark and scars:
- Difference in meaning: Spots are small areas of skin where the pores become blocked. This blockage results in an infection of the skin due to the bacteria living on the surface of the skin. A scar, on the other hand, refers to a fibrous tissue that replaces a patch of skin after an injury. Scarring is, therefore, a natural stage in the natural healing process of the body. Marks refer to unnatural thin lines that appear on certain parts of the skin. Marks can occur due to stretching of the skin during exercise or other activities.
- Difference in symptoms: In most cases, spots do not produce any symptoms aside from pain. However, spots are often indicative of underlying infections in your body, such as during chicken pox, measles and more. A scar is unpleasant to look at. Apart from this, only a few scars cause itching and pain. Treatment is rarely needed to treat symptoms related to scarring. However, cosmetic surgeries help reduce scars in case of severe scarring. In the case of marks, you may feel irritation before stretch marks appear. Itchiness of the skin is also common. However, no other symptoms appear from the marks.
- Difference in treatments: You will find many home remedies and other treatments for spots. However, it is best to consult a dermatologist for the correct and best treatment. Whatever you do, make sure you do not squeeze or pick on the spot, as this can cause long-term scarring and acne. In order to treat scars, you cannot rely only on medication. You will need to undergo skin care procedures if you want to reduce the scarring like chemical peels, laser treatment, radiotherapy, and surgery.
Marks are the most difficult condition to treat. Researchers have tried several lotions, ointments and surgeries to limit marks, without sufficient effect. Marks generally disappear as time passes, but it may take a long while for marks to become invisible. Women often use makeup to conceal marks on their bodies.