Scar revision is performed to improve the appearance of scars.
Scars from surgery or injuries are permanent and cannot be removed but they can be made to look less obvious.
Scar revision utilizes surgical methods to make wide scars thinner,
or make deep, thick or irregular scars smoother, by excising or cutting out the unsightly scar and closing the skin with careful
plastic surgery
techniques to achieve better healing. Often scar revision for wide
scars will require more than one procedure called serial excision. Most scars that are thick or raised are termed hypertrophic
scars. Keloids are less common and more extreme.
Following scar revision other treatments are often used as adjuncts
to try to achieve improved healing and a better final appearance. Some of the those treatments include topical treatments
such as silicone gel sheeting, massage, Mederma, Scarguard and Vitamin E. Injectable treatments such a local steroid injection
are used in some cases to achieve flatter scars. Radiation therapy may be recommended in cases of keloid treatment following
surgical revision.
In some cases restriction of activity may be recommended following
revision of scars in areas of the body where there is constant motion or muscle activity, such as over a joint.
It is important to remember that scars continue to heal or change
for twelve to eighteen months, so that scar revisions are usually undertaken after allowing at least nine months for healing.
