Defining burn scars
Scars are typically classified as either hypertrophic, keloid, linear or normotrophic and are distinguishable by their appearance, rate of formation and their progression. It is important to be able to differentiate between these types of scarring as the approach to management can be quite different. After a burn, hypertrophic scaring is most typically seen and features of this scarring are profiled in the table below against the rarer seen Keloid scarring for comparison.
The table below outlines the key differences between hypertrophic and keloid scars.
Hypertrophic scarring of the foot
Keloid scarring on the ear likely formed after ear piercing. Despite unlikely being formed from a burn, this photo demonstrates the proliferative growth of this scar in comparison to the original trauma site on the ear.
