There are a lot of myths and rumors out there when it comes to preventing scars. There are also a lot of conflicting opinions about proper scar prevention. So how do you know if you're doing the right thing? Doing the wrong things can make your wound heal much slower which will make your scar much worse. However, if you know how to prevent a scar the correct way, you'll enjoy scar-free skin later on. In many cases you can avoid scarring completely.  

Here are some simple tips to follow after suffering from skin damage that can help you prevent a permanent scar:

1) Limit hydrogen peroxide usage. After the initial skin damage, clean the wound with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide one time. That's it.  Repeatedly applying hydrogen peroxide to a wound will kill the newly forming skin cells and slow down the healing process. It may seem that you are doing good when it starts to bubble up, but you're killing skin cells along with the bacteria. This will prolong the healing process and make your scar much worse in the end. Clean the wound once with hydrogen peroxide, then apply an antibacterial ointment afterward. Neosporin will keep the wound moist and clean, giving it the perfect environment to heal in.

2) Keep it covered. Many people will tell you to let a cut breathe. This is actually wrong and should NOT be done. During the initial healing stage, you will want to keep the wound covered in an antibacterial ointment as often as possible. Keeping the wound moist and clean is the optimal healing environment. Scabs are meant to cover a wound as quickly as possible, but often leave lots of scar tissue behind.  They are meant for speed, not accuracy.  Instead, make your own barrier with an antibacterial and let the wound heal in a more optimal environment.

3) Sunblock. One very simple thing that many people fail to realize about fresh scars is that they are very sensitive to sunlight. Scar tissue and fresh skin burns much faster than regular skin and will ultimately become discolored and red. Letting a scar get exposed to the sun will cause it to turn very red and it will ultimately become hyperpigmented.  This makes the scar much more visible.

There are many more important scar prevention techniques that can keep you scar-free after skin damage. Proper early scar treatment can shorten healing time and make scars much less noticeable. If you're already beyond this point, don't despair, you can still get rid of scars at any age with the proper treatment program.  Natural scar removal is very possible, but preventing it in the first place is even better.