15 Nov 2024 Scar Revision: What to Expect
Scars are a natural part of the healing process after an injury or surgery, but they can sometimes be unsightly or uncomfortable, leading people to seek scar revision surgery. While scars can never be completely removed, Dr Safvat is an expert in surgical techniques that can significantly reduce their appearance, improving both aesthetics and function. If you’re considering scar revision, here’s what you need to know about the process and what to expect.
Why Consider Scar Revision?
Scars can vary greatly in size, shape, and severity. For some, scars may cause physical discomfort, restrict movement, or affect how a person feels about themself. Scar revision can address these issues by smoothing, minimising, or reshaping the scar tissue to blend more naturally with the surrounding skin. It can also relieve functional restrictions it may cause.
Types of Scars That Can Be Revised
Hypertrophic Scars: Raised, thick scars that stay within the boundaries of the original wound. This happens when something has gone wrong in the normal healing process such as infection, friction or tension in the scar.
Keloid Scars: Overgrown, raised scars that extend beyond the original injury site and may continue to grow over time. This is usually in patients who have a genetic propensity to get Keloid scars. These are the most difficult scars to treat and have a high recurrence rate.
Contracture Scars: Scars that tighten the skin and underlying tissue, often as a result of burns or major trauma, which can restrict movement.
Poorly Executed Scars: Poorly executed scars are closed either under too much tension, or put in directions or at sites that are more obvious and unsightly.
Traumatic Scars: Traumatic scars can vary significantly in appearance. Some result from clean cuts caused by sharp objects, while others may involve varying degrees of shearing or crushing, leading to more irregular and unpleasant scarring.
What Are Your Options for Scar Revision with Dr Safvat?
Depending on the type, size, and location of the scar, several different treatment options are available:
- Topical Treatments: These include creams, silicone gels or sheets and compression that can help reduce redness, thickness, or itching in scars, particularly for minor cases.
- Injectables: Steroid injections can flatten and soften hypertrophic or keloid scars, while fat injections can raise depressed scars to blend more smoothly with the surrounding skin.
- Surgical Revision: In cases where scars are deep, wide, or significantly raised, surgical revision may be the best option. Dr Safvat can remove the old scar and re-close the wound using advanced techniques to minimize future scarring.
- Radiotherapy: is reserved for the most recalcitrant of keloid scars and can only be given once and in specific locations. It is administered on the day, and the day after surgical resection of the scar.
Surgical Procedure: What to Expect
Scar revision surgery is generally performed as a day procedure in a hospital under local anaesthetic and sedation. However, some cases may require general anaesthetic.
At times a series of steroid injections and other non-surgical management is all that is needed to reduce a scar. However, in other cases excision of the scar is the best option. Dr Safvat would remove the scar tissue and close the wound with intricate suturing techniques, sometimes in a zigzag pattern or along natural skin creases to make the new scar less noticeable. For very large scars, a skin graft or flap may be required. This is often the case after trauma or burns.
The scar revision surgery itself usually takes around an hour, but it can vary based on the complexity of the scar and the surgical method used.
Recovery and Results
After the procedure, patients will likely experience some minor swelling, bruising, and discomfort around the incision area for a few days. There is little downtime involved and most patients can return to work a few days later (depending on their work type). The final results may take several months to become fully visible, as the scar continues to heal and mature over time.
Dr Safvat will provide you with his specific protocol for scar management that will help you protect and care for your incisions in a way that will make the scar less noticeable. Patients who have followed Dr Safvat’s protocol for scar management diligently have been very pleased with their progress in reducing and fading of scars.
Will the Scar Go Away Completely?
It’s important to set realistic expectations. Scar revision can significantly improve the appearance of a scar, but it won’t remove it. The goal is to make the scar less noticeable and restore functionality.
Is Scar Revision Right for You?
Before considering scar revision, it is important to consult with a fully qualified specialist plastic surgeon, such as Dr Andre Safvat at Ethique Plastic Surgery, who can evaluate your individual case. He will assess the type of scar, its age, family history and your overall health to determine the best treatment plan. Dr Safvat’s intricate surgical technique as well as his scar management protocol gives patients the best possible outcome for their scar.
If your scar is causing you physical discomfort, limiting movement, or you are unhappy with how it looks, scar revision surgery may be a worthwhile option. With the right treatment, you can reduce the visibility of your scars.