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I am often asked about how I can improve scars or if I can make them disappear. While scars do not disappear, revisions of scars can improve their appearance and make them more difficult to see. There are many reasons that patients ask to have scars improved. Some of them include widened scars, a thickened or red scar or a sunken scar. Depending on the location of the scar, one can approach the correction in many different ways. Some scars that are located on the shoulders, mid-chest or back, for example, are usually areas that do not produce "good" scars and are difficult to improve.
Most scars are the result of trauma while others are the result of a previous surgery. A majority of these scars can be repaired in a single stage. The first surgery is usually an excision of the scar with a complex closure designed to "break-up" the scar line. Some scars will require second and possibly third surgeries to obtain the best result. Secondary surgeries include dermabrasion which would help smooth the area.
Since scar revisions are performed on a variety of age groups, the surgery can be done either in the hospital operating room or in the office depending on the patient. There is usually very little down-time associated with this procedure. |
