Scar Improvement

Improving the appearance

One of the most sensitive aesthetic concerns people have about their face is facial scarring. This can be traumatic, and a source of embarrassment leading to significant self-conscious doubt and low self-esteem.

While no scar can be removed completely, your cosmetic surgeon can often improve its appearance, and make it less obvious through the injection or application of certain steroid medications or through surgical procedures.

Normal scars

Normal scars are thin and generally not that visible; however hypertrophic scars result from a more aggressive healing process after wound formation. They tend to become thick, raised, and red and appear swollen. They remain within the bounds of the wound and take longer to heal. Hypertrophic scars are wider than the typical ones and treatment is important during the healing phase in order to minimize the aesthetic long-term problem.

If they do not respond to steroid treatment, your surgeon will recommend surgical treatment. During this procedure, performed normally under local or general anaesthetic, he will remove excess scar tissue, and reposition the incision so that it heals in a less visible pattern. Steroid injections during surgery and at intervals for up to two years afterward may be administered to prevent the scar from reforming.

Keloid scars

Keloid scars are much more aggressive than hypertrophic scars, with a tendency to develop in the upper chest, neck, and facial regions. You should keep in mind that despite the long-term effective treatments for keloids, these tend to reappear.

If steroid treatment is unsuccessful, your surgeon will cut out the scar tissue and close the wound with one or more layers of stitches. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia and you will be able to get back to work in a day or two. Your surgeon may choose to use a skin graft, although this increases the risk of developing a keloid in the place where the graft was taken from.

Cosmetic surgery today can also treat contractures that form as a result of burns or other injuries leading to a loss of a large area of skin. These scars pull the edges of the skin together, affecting the muscles and tendons, and restricting normal movement.

Correcting a contracture usually involves cutting out the scar and replacing it with a skin graft or a flap. In some cases your surgeon may perform a Z-plasty procedure.