Do Hypertrophic Scars Go Away?
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The honest answer is yes — most hypertrophic scars do substantially over time, and many continue to and fade for 12 to 24 months after the injury. But “go away” is a strong phrase. A scar that has reached maximum much less raised, less red, and less obvious than it was at 6 to 8 weeks post-injury. It does not completely disappear. What it is a fine, pale, mature scar that is far easier to live with than the active raised scar.
Whether you should simply wait for natural improvement or treat the scar depends on several factors: how the scar is behaving at each stage, your skin type, the anatomical location, and how much the scar is you. Early often prevents a hypertrophic scar from in the first place — which is meaningfully from trying to revise a mature one.
For background on the full range of scar types and how each forms, start with . For the wider service, see at Centre for Surgery’s CQC-regulated Baker Street private hospital.
What is a hypertrophic scar?
A hypertrophic scar is a raised, firm, often red or pink scar that stays within the boundaries of the original wound. It forms when the body more than was needed for repair. The excess collagen sits in that the scar and lift it above the surrounding skin.
The key feature: a hypertrophic scar stays within the lines of the original injury. It can be raised, firm, sometimes itchy or tender — but it does not grow into healthy skin. This is the most difference from a keloid, which beyond the original wound boundary into healthy tissue and rarely spontaneously.
Hypertrophic scars are most common:
If you’re unsure whether your scar is hypertrophic or keloid, the rule of thumb is geographic: does the scar end at the line of the injury (hypertrophic), or has it grown beyond it (keloid)? This distinction because the treatment approach and the expected natural history differ.
Why hypertrophic scars often improve on their own
scars peak in at around 6 to 12 weeks after the injury — this is the point at which the body’s collagen is . After that point, the body’s remodelling begins to break down some of the excess and reorganise the rest into a more normal pattern. Over 12 to 24 months, most scars:
The natural history is the reason revision is usually deferred for at least 12 months — many scars that look concerning at 6 weeks will look much better at 12 months without any at all.
That said, “wait and see” isn’t always the right answer. Active non-surgical treatment during the maturation window can substantially improvement and may prevent the scar from becoming established in the first place. The best results typically come from patience with appropriate early intervention.
The standard treatment approach
Treatment of a scar is layered. The first-line interventions are non-surgical and started early; is reserved for the minority of scars that don’t respond.
The single with the strongest base. to a fully closed wound:
use: start once the wound has closed (around 2 weeks). Gel twice daily, or worn for 12+ hours a day. Continue for at least 3 months — 6. For dedicated see
injected directly into the scar tissue is the workhorse for established scars. The mechanism is suppression of fibroblast activity and reduction of collagen . Given as a course every 4–6 weeks for 3–6 sessions, intralesional steroid produces and softening in the majority of cases.
Steroid works best when started early — once a scar is showing concerning raised, firm, red features at 6–8 weeks post-operation. Catching the scar at this stage often prevents it from fully. Intervention on a mature 12+ month scar still helps but requires more sessions and produces less results.
Several laser modalities help scars:
combines microneedling with deep radiofrequency energy to scar tissue at depth. For scars it collagen and progressive flattening over a course of 3–4 . Particularly useful where the scar is over a larger area, or for patients with skin types where laser carries more pigmentation risk.
Sustained mechanical pressure (typically 24+ kPa) applied to a scar collagen production and can an established scar. Used as:
Pressure therapy is less commonly used after standard surgery because don’t fit usefully over typical sites — but for the right location it remains an evidence-based option.
The best results often come from . A common protocol for a hypertrophic scar at 8 weeks post-operation:
For most scars, this combined approach produces within 4 to 6 months and avoids the need for revision.
When is surgical revision considered?
Surgical of a hypertrophic scar is rarely the approach. The reason: cutting out the scar and the area in the same place often another hypertrophic scar — because the underlying that caused the first one (anatomical tension, skin type, individual healing pattern) are still present.
Surgical is considered when:
Where surgical revision is appropriate, it is almost always combined with post-operative intralesional steroid and intensive silicone to the new scar from going again. See for full .
Hypertrophic scars by anatomical location
The risk of a hypertrophic scar — and the natural history once one has formed — varies considerably by where on the body the wound is.
Knowing the risk profile of the site how aggressively the scar should be managed from the start.
How long until a hypertrophic scar matures?
A typical maturation timeline for a scar:
This is the without . With early silicone use, appropriate steroid injection, and laser or Morpheus8, the trajectory is shifted — the scar becomes less raised earlier and reaches a better final endpoint.
Hypertrophic vs keloid: the practical difference
The two are often confused. Both are raised, firm, sometimes red and itchy. The practical distinctions:
If your scar is extending into previously healthy skin, that’s a keloid pattern and different . See for piercing-related keloids, and directly with a surgeon for any keloid affecting a area such as the chest or earlobe.
What we don’t recommend
Frequently asked questions
“Go away” overstates what happens. Most scars improve substantially over 12 to 24 months — becoming less raised, less red, less . They do not completely . With appropriate treatment, the endpoint is a fine pale mature scar that is much easier to live with.
scars treated (silicone, steroid, About Laser Hair for Women (https://ethosskinandlaser.co.uk/)) rarely come back in the same way once — the underlying collagen has been reorganised. Surgical without combined post-operative treatment has a higher recurrence rate, which is why approaches are .
steroid injection produces the most rapid and reliable . A course of 3–4 injections every 4–6 weeks typically shows clear within 2 to 3 months. Combined with silicone and sun protection, the results are better still.
No scar can be removed completely — the underlying skin structure has been permanently . What treatment can achieve is making the scar significantly less raised, less red, and less . For many patients, the end result is a fine pale line that’s hard to see without close .
Yes — Morpheus8 produces remodelling that gradually flattens and softens scarring over a course of 3–4 sessions. Particularly useful for larger areas, scars on darker skin types, and as an adjunct to steroid injection.
They are not in the sense — there is no risk of malignant change or systemic harm. They can cause itch, tenderness, restricted movement (when over joints), and significant cosmetic . These are to seek treatment.
Not necessarily. Even patients with a history of one scar can have other procedures heal with appropriate planning — incisions in lower-tension sites, technique, and intensive post-operative scar . The risk is real but it isn’t an automatic .
Yes — typically very well. earrings, steroid injection, and (occasionally) surgical with post-operative steroid are the . piercing scars respond particularly well to early .
steroid injection sessions £150–250 each. Laser sessions £350–600. Morpheus8 from £900. Surgical revision £1,500–4,000+. available. For full cost see
The earlier the better. A scar showing raised, firm, red features at 6–8 weeks is the ideal time for first — early the scar from becoming fully established. Don’t wait for the scar to “settle” if it’s going in the wrong direction.
Centre for is a surgery clinic at 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone. We offer the full range of for scars — management, intralesional injection, pulsed-dye and fractional laser treatment, , and where appropriate . All by plastic surgeons. No GP referral required.
For related guides, see , , , , and
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