A parade of remedies old and new purport to help healing unsightly scars. These range from home cures to surgical procedures. It's hard for patients to navigate the 'huge myths' that surround skin injuries, says Whitney Bowe, medical director for cosmetic and laser services at Advanced Dermatology in New York and Ossining, N.Y. She also teaches at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. To find out how to minimize scars, we tapped her expertise.

从家用偏方到手术治疗，一系列新老疗法都旨在让难看的疤痕愈合。位于纽约市和纽约州奥西宁(Ossining)两地的高级皮肤科(Advanced Dermatology)美容与激光服务部的医疗主管惠特尼•鲍说，患者很难厘清有关皮肤创伤的“诸多迷思”。鲍同时也在纽约州立大学下州医学中心(SUNY Downstate Medical Center)和纽约市西奈山医学院(Mount Sinai School of Medicine)任教。为了弄清如何将疤痕最小化，我们记录下了她的专业见解。

Why does skin scar?

皮肤为什么会生出疤痕？

Scars result from abnormal formation of collagen in the skin after an injury, basically a stress response in this protein that is vital to the skin's strength. No matter what type of scar you have, Dr. Bowe says that a few treatments help and the rest aren't usually worth the time and money.

疤痕的产生是因为在皮肤受损以后，皮肤中的胶原蛋白成形异常所致，主要是胶原蛋白中发生了一种应激反应，而它对皮肤的韧性至关重要。鲍博士说，不管你生成的疤痕属于哪一类，有效的治疗方法都很少，而余下的那些疗法一般来说不值得耗费那么多的时间和金钱。

What's the best way to avoid scars?

避免生疤的最佳方法是什么？

'My patients sometimes think they should dry out their wounds so they form scabs, but that's the worst thing you can do,' says Dr. Bowe. 'Keep the wound nice and moist, and don't use anything fancy.'

“我的患者有时认为，他们应该让自己的伤口干透以便自然结痂，但那是你能做的最糟糕的事。”鲍博士说，“让那个伤口保持湿润，不要使用任何奇怪的东西。”

She recommends plain old Vaseline and a Band-Aid. Some patients prefer the texture of Aquaphor, an ointment which Dr. Bowe says also works well. The more ingredients in a moisturizer, she says, the greater the chance it can cause an allergic reaction. It is also very important to keep a healing wound out of the sun to prevent discoloration.

鲍博士推荐使用普通的老牌凡士林和一块邦迪创口贴。有些患者更偏爱优色林软膏Aquaphor的质地，鲍博士说这种软膏的疗效也不错。她还称，润肤膏中所含的成份越多，引发患者过敏反应的几率就越大。还有一点至关重要，那就是要避免一处正在愈合的伤口受到阳光照射，以防伤口变色。

Do drugstore remedies help?

药店里的那些补救法有用吗？

Vitamin E, known for antioxidant properties that can lessen inflammation, is widespread in topical creams and lotions for scar healing, but Dr. Bowe doesn't think it helps much. In fact, in some patients it can cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation, she says. When it works for patients, it is likely because the lotion is simply keeping the skin hydrated.

众所周知，维他命E具有能够减轻炎症的抗氧化特性，因而被广泛用于治疗疤痕的外用药膏和药水中。但鲍博士认为其疗效不大，她说，事实上，它会致使一些患者产生过敏反应或刺激其皮肤。而它之所以会对患者起作用，可能仅仅是因为这种药膏保持了肌肤的水分。

Onion extract is another ingredient found in over-the-counter creams, and one that Dr. Bowe also finds adds little to simple petroleum jelly.

在市面上出售的众多药膏中，人们还能找到另一种成份：洋葱提取物。鲍博士发现，它的疗效比普通凡士林强不了多少。

One product that can have advantages is silicone, she says. The gel often is applied to an adhesive sheet that sticks to the skin. Dr. Bowe says it is thought that the pressure of the bandage is what might make a difference in the scarring process. Nonetheless, she says, 'It is not a 'Wow' effect and can be very expensive.' The process can cost around $40 a month, with up to two years required for full healing.

鲍博士说，有一种产品对人有益，那就是硅胶。这种胶体常常被用于紧贴皮肤的胶粘剂片中。鲍博士称，据说绷带的压力是造成疤痕愈合进展不同的原因。尽管如此，鲍博士说：“但它并不具有奇效，价格也会非常昂贵。”这样治疗一个月就要花掉40美金（约合人民币245元），想要完全愈合总共需要长达两年的治疗期。

Are any home cures reliable?

有任何可信的家用偏方吗？

Honey is the one household staple Dr. Bowe would recommend putting on a healing wound, though she doesn't recommend it over Vaseline. It promotes healing while killing off other bacteria and fungi.

尽管鲍博士认为蜂蜜的疗效不如凡士林，但她还是会推荐将蜂蜜这种家庭主食涂抹在一处正在愈合的伤口上。蜂蜜不仅能促进伤口愈合，还能杀死其他的细菌和真菌。

Stay away from two other folksy treatments, rubbing onions or lemon juice on the scar, she says. These are 'so irritating they will kill healthy skin cells.'

鲍博士说，要远离另外两种土办法--在伤疤上抹擦洋葱或柠檬汁。这些东西“刺激性太强，它们会杀死健康的皮肤细胞。”

Are medical procedures worth the expense?

进行医学疗法会物有所值吗？

Laser therapy can help with certain types of thick or red scars, says Dr. Bowe, while scars that are thick or raised can be flattened with injections of cortisone. She recommends V-Beam lasers for red scars and Fraxel for certain types of acne scars. Acne damage also can be punched out and stitched back up in a gamble that 'you're replacing one scar with another that looks better,' she says. Fraxel can also be more effective on old scars than other treatments.

鲍博士说，激光治疗能帮助某些类型的厚疤或红疤，但通过注射可的松也能消平修复厚疤或凸起的疤痕。对红色疤痕患者，鲍博士推荐V-Beam脉冲染料激光，而对痤疮疤痕患者，她推荐的是飞梭镭射。鲍博士说，痤疮可被打孔、然后再缝合上，但这么做是在下一个赌注：“你在用一个好看点儿的疤代替之前的那块疤。”与其他的治疗方法相比，飞梭镭射在祛除旧疤方面效果更佳。

These types of procedures don't come cheap. Fraxel, for instance, can run around $300 to $500 a treatment for a small area like the cheeks, and a patient requires at least three procedures.

这些类型的疗法都不便宜。比如，给面颊这种小面积的部位进行一次飞梭镭射治疗就要花费300到500美元（约合人民币1,840到3,060元），而一位患者至少需要进行三次治疗。