A scar can add character, make for a good story or be exactly what you do not want, where you do not want it. “Whatever you feel about your scars they are with you for life, but that does not mean you don’t have options,” says David Sawcer, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of clinical dermatology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Focusing your efforts by identifying what it is that bothers you about a scar—itch, appearance, tightness—will likely lead to much better results.” Sawcer recommends topical 1 percent hydrocortisone once or twice a day to help with itchiness. If the appearance is bothersome, a green tint in a foundation make-up will help conceal a red scar. Lasers also effectively remove redness. They may even help with the contour of a scar, which can also be reduced by silicon gel and sheet treatments—safe and easy options, but only moderately effective. In addition, injections of steroids into scars can flatten them completely, but Sawcer warns that the treatment is imprecise.