Why do scars sometimes hurt after they heal?
In: Biology
Because scar are different from regular skin (e.g. they get sunburned more easily, don’t sweat and often come with reduced senstivety) and they can take a long time to heal (upto 2 years) during that time it might be a good idea to massage the area.
Occasionally when the dark lord approaches, scars tend to hurt. This is the searing pain associated with the dual identity as both the chosen one, and a horcrux
A scar is made of organic fibers weaved by specialized fibroblast cells as part of wound healing. Because the wound was too large or too deep, the body could not regenerate the area back to its original state and decided to patch it up with a scar.
Scars don’t have the original cells that function in the area. For example, skin scars won’t sweat or tan. This also means the nerves that originally connected to the area are not properly wired. Free nerve endings could cause sensations of pain.
Secondly, the fibers in scars will slowly over a matter of months to years pull together. This makes scars smaller with time but can be problematic for large scars such as those in burn victims. A large scar made of non-stretchy fiber could pull so tight that it reduces a person’s range of motion. This pulling over time can also trigger pain. A similar pulling of fibers occurs under scabs that tigger our sense of itchiness.
The skin has healed but the nerve endings don’t necessarily heal at the same rate as skin. Nerves can take up to years to heal.
Latest Answers