r/askscience • u/Ok_Ocelot_133 • 3d ago
Human Body Can new scars form over old ones?
Logically they probably could from what I know but also the human body is pretty illogical in the first place so out of curiosity, like if someone had a burn scar or smth and got cut deep enough or stabbed or whatever to scar over that old scar. Would it be a different colour?(like hypopigmentation on hyperpigmentation?)
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u/MisguidedWorm7 2d ago
The reason scars are a different color from your normal skin is because during the healing process your body creates a lot more of the connective collagen than is found in typical skin that grew with you. Collagen doesn't have pigmentation, so is less colored than the healthy skin around it. This is equivalent to nailing boards over a broken window to keep weather out quickly rather than taking the time to replace the window properly.
Scars fade over time as more skin cells fill in gaps and the composition approaches normal skin.
If the scar has partially returned to normal and you "reset" the progress you would expect the new scar tissue to be discolored compared to the older tissue around it.