What Is a Scar Revision?
Scar revision is a cosmetic treatment to reduce the appearance of scars. Scars are marks on the skin that appear after a wound has healed. While scars are a normal part of the wound-healing process, some patients find them bothersome.
Scars can be minimized for a multitude of reasons:
- The scar is prominent and makes the patient feel self-conscious
- The location of the scar makes it difficult to move
- The scar is a constant reminder of a traumatic event
- The scar is itchy or painful
How Scar Revision Is Done
Scars can be treated surgically, nonsurgically or with a combination of different techniques. At Chattahoochee Plastic Surgery, our approach is to first opt for less invasive solutions before moving to surgical scar revision. The scar revision options offered at our center include:
Non-surgical Options
Steroid injections
Keloid and hypertrophic scars are normally treated with steroid drugs, such as triamcinolone. Patients receive injections every four weeks until the scars shrink and blend with the surrounding skin. Steroids work by breaking bonds between abnormal collagen fibers found in scar tissue, reducing the size of the scar.
Skin resurfacing
We can also treat unwanted scars with laser therapy. CO2 and erbium lasers are both effective in this regard, as is fractional laser resurfacing. Laser technology sends brief pulses of high-energy light into scar tissue. This vaporizes it layer by layer while stimulating collagen remodeling at the same time.
Dermabrasion
If your problem is scars caused by acne, smallpox or superficial injury, then you may benefit from this popular cosmetic procedure. Using specialized instruments to “sand” the skin, dermabrasion removes the top layer of the skin, revealing a more even texture as the skin heals.
Fillers
Soft-tissue fillers can reduce the appearance of most depressed scars quickly, effectively and with no downtime. During this treatment, your specialist injects a gel-like substance directly into the scar with a thin needle. The effects are noticeable immediately and may improve over time as the filler stimulates collagen remodeling over three to six months.
Surgical Options
Excision
Wide and rounded scars can be surgically removed and the surrounding skin stitched together to create a thinner scar. Our surgeons are trained in various techniques, such as fusiform elliptical excision and serial excision. In all cases, our aim is to preserve as much healthy skin as possible.
Z-plasty
Z-plasty is the most common surgical technique for scar revision. It gets its name from its “Z” shaped incision and is used to create a thinner-looking scar. The horizontal incisions help reduce tension in the original scar and adjust the orientation of the scar to the natural tension points of the surrounding skin.
W-plasty
With this technique, we break up the scar’s margins with zigzag incisions. These incisions remove all of the scar tissue and some of the healthy skin by creating triangles on both sides of the skin that align with closure. This technique helps camouflage straight scars and scars on rounded areas.
Flaps and grafts
Sometimes, it is not possible to create a thinner scar with adjacent skin, so we use flaps or skin grafts to make up for this lack. Our surgeons make sure to use donor areas and materials that match the color of the skin seamlessly when utilizing this technique.