Prevalence of scars: results of the first international study

Scars are visible marks due to skin injury, burns or inflammatory dermatosis, such as acne or shingles. Surgical procedures systematically induce a scar, and it is often a criterion of success or failure for the patient and the surgeon. Some scars can however be embarrassing depending on their location, their size and their aspect. Some induce regular itching or a feeling of tightness or pain. In fact, scarring depends on multiple factors: age, topographic location, genetics and phototype. Therefore, it was very interesting to understand scarring around the world better. To our knowledge, an international evaluation of the prevalence of scars had never previously been carried-out.