Scar Tissue

The previous post Epithelial Tissue, looked at the specifics of Epithelial tissue and how important it is for the body. In this post, we’re going back to the essence of the site, which is focused on scar tissue and look at some of the current processes of scar tissue removal.

Needling is a process of scar tissue removal in which the scarred area is needled continuously to promote the formation of collagen. The area of skin is then allowed to heal fully. If necessary, it is then needled once again depending upon the intensity of the area of scarring. Scarring needles as well as needling rollers are actually available for use in the home. It should be noted that professional medical supervision should be sought if you intend needling on any parts of the face or other areas where major nerve clusters are located. Remember that hygienic and sterilization requirements should be adhered to strictly when needling scar tissue is done at home.

There are special kinds of pressure garments, which are usually custom-made from elastic materials for fitting tightly around the area of scarring. They are generally used for large area burn scars although this type of scar tissue treatment is effective only on recent scars. They are believed to work by the application of constant pressure to surface blood vessels. This eventually causes scars to become flatter and softer. They tend to work best when worn 24 hours a day for between six and twelve months. It should be noted that these pressure garments are meant for use under supervision only.

Dermabrasion is a treatments that involves removing the surface of the skin with special equipment. This method of scar removal often involves a general anaesthetic and is useful with treating raised scars. It is less effective however when the scar has sunk below the surrounding skin. In this case, collagen injections may be used to raise the sunken scars back to the same level as the surrounding skin. Unfortunately, the effects are temporary, meaning this needs to be repeated ona regular basis.

A more successful kind of scar treatment that is growing in popularity is laser treatment, where lasers are used on scars. This is still a fairly new form of treatment which is constantly being improved. Vascular lasers greatly reduce the redness associated with most types of scars within six to ten weeks of the initial treatment. This method is not so effective in flattening scars, although there is a theory being bandied about that says the removal of layers of skin using a carbon dioxide or erbium laser might work at flattening scars. More research has to be done in this area, though before any definitive conclusions can result.

Surgery is sometimes undertaken to remove scars, especially in the realms of stretch mark surgery which can be fairly effective in greatly reducing the area of damaged skin. While this type of surgery amongst others for scar tissue removal, the exact process involves cutting out and re-stitching the wound, which often only results in another scar being formed.

There are several other effective methods of scar tissue removal that do not rely on mainstream medicine and these will be touched on in the next article.

Source: This article contains information researched and sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scar which has been paraphrased in the author’s own words and is therefore original content.

Terry Didcott
Scar Tissue

Following on from our last post Tissue Definitions, here we’ll take a closer, more detailed look at Epithelial tissue.

Epithelial tissue covers the entire surface of the body. Epithelial tissue is made up of closely packed and ranged cells in one or more layers. Epithelial tissue is specialized and forms the covering or lining of all internal and external body surfaces.

Epithelial tissue which occurs on surfaces on the interior of the body is called endothelium. Epithelial tissue cells are packed very tightly together with almost no intercellular spaces and only a tiny amount of intercellular substance.

Regardless of the type, epithelial tissue is normally separated from the underlying tissue by a thin sheet of connective tissue known as basement membrane. The basement membrane provides the structural support for the epithelium and also binds it to neighboring structures.

Epithelial tissue can be divided into two groups. This depends on how many layers it is composed of. Epithelial tissue which is merely one cell thick is called simple epithelium. If the epithelial tissue is two or more cells thick (such as the skin), it is called stratified epithelium.

Epithelial tissue known as simple epithelium can be subdivided further, according to the shape and function of its cells.

Squamous cells look like thin, flat plates. Squamous cells, tend to have horizontal, flattened, elliptical nuclei due to the thin flattened form of the cell. These form the lining of cavities such as the mouth, blood vessels, heart and lungs as well as make up the outer layers of the skin.

Simple Cuboidal Epithelium, otherwise known as cuboidal cells are roughly square shaped. Each cell has a central, spherical nucleus. Cuboidal epithelium occurs in glands and in the lining of the kidney tubules and in the ducts of the glands. They also constitute the germinal epithelium which produces egg cells in the ovary and sperm cells in the testes.

Columnar epithelial tissue cells can occur in one or more layers. These cells are elongated and mainly column shaped. The nuclei are also elongated and are located mainly near the base of the cells. Columnar epithelium forms the lining of the stomach and the intestines. Some columnar cells are highly specialized for such things as sensory reception, for instance in the nose, ears and taste buds.

Goblet cells (unicellular glands) can be found between the columnar epithelial cells of the duodenum. Goblet cells secrete a lubricating mucus or slime for keeping the surface smooth.

Ciliated Columnar Epithelium are simple columnar epithelial tissue cells which posses fine hair-like outgrowths, called cilia on their free surfaces. These cilia are capable of rapid, wavelike, rhythmic beatings in one direction. This movement of the cilia causes mucus to move (flow or stream) in that direction. Ciliated epithelium is therefore found in the air passages like the nose. It is also found in the uterus and Fallopian tubes, where the movement of the cilia propel the ovum to the uterus.

Glandular Epithelium are columnar epithelium with goblet cells. Some parts of the glandular epithelium contain such a large number of goblet cells that there are only a few normal epithelial cells left. Columnar and cuboidal epithelial cells become specialized gland cells which can synthesize and secrete substances such as enzymes, sweat, hormones, mucus, milk, wax and saliva. Unicellular glands consist of single, isolated glandular cells such as the goblet cells. When a portion of the epithelial tissue becomes invaginated, a multicellular gland is formed, composed of clusters of cells. Most glands such as the salivary glands are multicellular.

Stratified Epithelium otherwise known as compound epithelium are composed of several layers of cells and exist where body linings have to withstand wear and tear. The top cells are flat and scaly and it may or may not contain a tough, resistant protein called keratin. The mammalian skin is made of keratinised, stratified epithelium, whereas the lining of the mouth cavity is of unkeratinisied, stratified epithelium.

Epithelial Tissue has several functions, such as protection as in the case of skin for example, secretion of glandular fluids, sensory perception in the case of eyes, nose etc, absorption and excretion, diffusion and cleaning and finally to reduce friction where movement exists.

Terry Didcott
Scar Tissue

Let’s follow our last post here at this information site that covered specifically Scar Tissue, with some broader definitions of tissue.

First of all, the study of tissue is correctly known as histology, or when in connection with a disease, histopathology.

Biological tissue can be defined as a collection of interconnected cells that are able to perform a similar function within an organism.

The classical tools for studying the various tissues are the wax block, the tissue stain and the optical microscope. Developments in electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and frozen sections have all been incorporated into the database of knowledge in the last few decades. With these tools, the classical appearances of tissues can be examined in health and disease. This enables considerable refinement of clinical diagnosis and prognosis.

There are 4 basic types of tissues found in the body of all animals, including humans and lower multicellular organisms such as insects. These tissues compose all the organs, muscles, structures and other contents.

• Epithelium - Epithelial tissues are composed of layers of cells which cover all organ surfaces such as the surface of the skin and the inner lining of the digestive tract. Epithelial tissues are tissues that serve for protection, secretion and absorption.
• Connective tissue - These typically hold everything together. Connective tissue is characterised by the inorganic material separating the cells, which is known as extracellular matrix. Bone and blood are both categorised as connective tissue.
• Muscle tissue - All muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and thereby change the size of the cell. Muscle tissue is also conveniently divided into three distinct categories:

• visceral or smooth muscle, which is found primarily in the inner linings of organs
• skeletal muscle which is found attached to bone so that mobility can take place
• cardiac muscle which is of course found in the heart

• Nervous tissue - Specially adapted cells which form the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

That about sums up our informative definitions of tissue and its several types.

Terry Didcott
Scar Tissue