How to treat scars?

Scars are the result of the body’s natural healing process following an injury and treating them isn’t always easy, this is why DayScar was born. The App was an idea of Doctor Alberto Pau,  medical resident in Plastic Surgery, Reconstructive and Aesthetic, at the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona. He also provided scientific support under the supervision of Giovanni di Benedetto, Director of the postgraduate school he attended.  

«The DayScar app was born with the intention of creating an educational, and easy to use, method for patients who have a surgical scar, due to integrated interactive support in an app which guides the patient through the protocol described by the surgeon», explains Alberto Pau. 

Scars can have a significant impact on the quality of a person’s life, not just from the aesthetic point of view, but also regarding psychological wellbeing. Treating scars during the process of recovery from an injury or surgery is crucial in order to heal properly. However it’s a phase which requires constant effort from the patient in performing the massages and practices recommended by doctors.

Many people forget to be cautious of prolonged exposure to the sun, especially when it comes to scars.

«Scar tissue is vulnerable to UV rays and excessive exposure without adequate precautions can provoke burns and hyperpigmentation often permanently», explains the doctor. 

Correct scars treatment

Scars can follow a physiological healing process or evolve into pathological conditions becoming hypotrophic, hypertrophic or keloids.

There are different treatment strategies. Each of which has a series of pros and cons: from surgical and pharmacological ones, to physical ones, like cryotherapy, laser therapy, massage therapy and many more.

The combination of massages, presented on the DayScar App, has been developed to produce a sequence of intensity from the first to the third month of treatment, to then drastically decrease in the fourth month and increase steadily until the sixth and last month. This protocol follows the so-called Z concept which dictates the sequence of intensity. 

«The protocol established for the app follows a specific series of massaging techniques – describes Pau – It’s completely experimental. It consists of 6 months of treatment with a sequence of massages repeated twice a day for 6 minutes, made up of 6 types of massages based on the intensity of the execution: light (effleurage), intermediate (friction) and elevated (petrissage)».

Beyond the frequency and intensity of the massages, you must also consider the direction in which they’re performed. «You can proceed parallelly, perpendicularly, in a linear, circular or zig-zag motion».

Advantages and results 

DayScar offers numerous advantages for patients as a flexible tool, without being perceived as a prescription. «In the “scar” section you can find useful information, facts, suggestions and FAQ – continues Pau -.“progress” is instead a section in which patients can monitor their condition during the 6-month treatment».

The creation of the App, as Pau explains, isn’t only meant for immediate treatment of scars, but also as scientific research. Along with promoting the digital application, a comparative study was launched. It involves three groups of patients with post-surgery scars: «Those who follow the digital protocol offered by DayScar, those who follow the paper-based protocol and those who don’t follow any protocol – Pau describes -. The obtained results will be compared using a subjective scale of evaluation and other objective methods, which main goals are to evaluate the role and efficiency of the digital protocol compared to the other two.The hypothesis is that DayScar can lead to better results regarding pain, itchiness, and the overall conditions of the scar».