One of the most common reasons for which patients seek aesthetic treatment is scars. Scars can be disfiguring, both physically and psychologically.
Cosmetically,scars can draw attention away from other aspects of a person, especially if present on the face. They can end up being the feature the person is known for. Psychologically, scars can be a painful reminder of an unpleasant incident. This can affect efforts to move forward in life. For these reason patients seek treatment, both to improve function and cosmesis.
Scars can be due to
•Trauma – any prior injury that healed poorly. These are usually large and wide
•Surgery – A prior surgery can leave a scar. These are usually thin and linear
•Burns – Burn scars are common after healing. These scars can be or large area, with irregular surfaces and textures.
•Acne – Acne scars can leave multiple marks on the face
•Self harm – Injuries on the forearm are common due to prior emotional distress. And even though the person is in a better place currently, these scars can always hinder someone from getting a job, or moving on in their journey to wellness.
When there is any injury on the body, the body mechanisms are initiated to induce healing. If conditions are less than ideal, this healing can occur in an uncontrolled manner. In this case, scars can become hypertrophic, meaning they are raised and firm. They can become hyperpigmented due to too much sun exposure. If the injury becomes infected, that can prolong healing and cause a poor scar. Ultimately poor conditions for scar healing lead to a more prominent scar.
How can scars be analyzed?
Any scar can be analyzed in 3 factors
•Width – how wide the scar is
•Depth – is the scar the same level as the skin
•Surface – is the scar of similar texture as the surrounding skin
•Each scar is unique and will have different composition of the above components.
How can scars be treated?
There is no single treatment that will work for every scar. There are various options for treatment as follows
•Width of a scar can be reduced by surgery.
•Depth of a scar can be improved by fillers or fat grafting
•Surface of a scar can be improved by lasers, dermabrasion, peels , nanofat etc.
Most often a combination of treatments will be needed to give the best result. This combination will have to be decided based on that particular scar.
Can I get completely normal skin after scar revision?
Any scar treatment can reduce the appearance of a scar. There is no treatment which can revert your skin to how it was before the injury. However modern scar revision techniques are so advanced that scars can be made to look very faint and unnoticeable.
What is surgical scar revision?
It is the procedure of performing surgery on a larger scar , removing the scar and suturing the scar to reduce the width of the scar. This is the only treatment that can make a scar smaller in width. It is a good treatment option for scars that are not too wide, as otherwise it wont be possible to close the wound.
How is this procedure done?
It is typically done under local anesthesia. The scar is excised and fine stitches places in such a manner as to produce as thin a line as possible. The patient can usually resume work the next day. Stitched are commonly removed after a week.
How do I make sure my scar revision result is as good as possible?
During the healing phase of any scar it is important to follow some precautions to ensure good healing
•You need to make sure you use sunscreens and avoid direct sun exposure which can make the scar darker
• need to massage the scar to ensure it is soft and supple
•Additional treatments such as laser maybe needed
How does fat grafting for scars work?
Fat gratfing is another wonderful procedure which can improve scars. It is used in two ways
•Microfat – which can be used to fill scars and raise them, improving the depth
•Nanofat – which is rich in stem cells and can improve the texture and appearance of scars
What are the non surgical treatments for scars?
Surgical treatments always work best with non surgical treatments. Non surgical treatments can also be the method of choice for large scars such as burn scars. Laser Scar Removal , Micro Dermabrasion , micro needling radio frequency