Scar Revision
Scar revision surgery is a type of cosmetic surgery aimed to minimize a scar on the skin effectively. This is done by treating it to match the surrounding healthy skin’s tone and texture as much as safely possible. Scars are the remnants of wounds after they have healed. These can be the result of a physical injury, surgery or even from a burn. At times, the skin might not heal ideally from the wound and scarring is seen. Even an ideally healed wound is likely to leave a scar, even though it can be very light and fade away with time.
However, in severe cases, these scars tend to be unsightly with abnormal texture and shape. A scar in a visible location on the body is often the cause of depression and stress for many.
Who is an ideal candidate for a Scar Revision Surgery?
These are some of the factors that help decide if an individual is an ideal candidate for a scar revision surgery:
If the location of the scar bothers you
If you are physically fit otherwise
You do not have a habit of smoking
Have realistic expectations about results from scar revision surgery
Do not suffer from acne or other skin disorders
How is Scar Revision surgery performed?
The scar revision surgery starts with administering of general anesthesia to avoid pain or discomfort to the patient during the surgical procedure. The degree of improvement from scar revision depends on the type, size and location of the scar as well as the severity of scarring. In some cases, a single scar revision surgery technique might successfully help, however, at times the cosmetic surgeon might have to combine two or more surgical techniques for achieving the best scar revision results.
These are the various scar revision techniques:
- Topical solutions: Gels, tapes and external compression can often help a wound to heal and close. These also help in reducing scars and discoloration to a considerable limit. These are mostly useful in treating existing scars and also to help heal efficiently from a scar revision procedure.
- Injections: Several injectable substances can help treat concave or depressed scars effectively. The results from these treatments are considerable. Modern injections use steroid-based substances to decrease collagen and change the shape and size of the scar tissue.
Superficial treatments
These are used to add cosmetic improvement to the appearance of the scar. These are mostly useful for matching the irregular features and uneven pigmentation of the scar tissue. These are the types of techniques used for treating the scar surface:
- Dermabrasion: In this, the cosmetic surgeon uses a mechanical skin polishing device to abrade the surface of the scar.
- Laser/Light therapy: In this, the high-intensity focused laser light allows removing the scar tissue to let new and normal tissue to replace it.
- Chemical peel: This technique is useful to treat scar tissue that goes considerably deeper and improve the scar’s color and texture.
- Skin bleach: This medication is used to lighten darker toned scar tissue to match the normal skin surrounding it.
Surgery:
Surgical treatment for scar revision involves making incisions to reshape or relocate the scar so as to make it as inconspicuous as possible. The cosmetic surgeon will also remove layer upon layer of scar tissue or even use a flap technique to cover a smaller scar. Scar revision treatment is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments worldwide as nearly everyone of us have some kind of scars. Although most of these are inconspicuous or small, scar revision is very helpful when scars are highly visible and unattractive.