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Cosmetic Surgery for Scars - Article
" Doctor, I have tried everything for the scars on my face but nothing worked. can it be removed by cosmetic surgery?" This is a common question I am asked. This situation can sometimes be helped and sometimes not much can be done. Answer depends on scar, its location and patient's expectation.
» Scar can be treated in many ways
• Scar revision surgery: This is the commonest and best method. Scar is removed under local anaesthesia and it is stitched back using fine techniques and materials. This works well for old operation scars and injuries that were stitched badly earlier. So your old bad scar is replaced by a fine line like scar which if taken proper care in next few months, fades to a very faint like which is visible at only close look, but not otherwise.
• Dermabrasion: This surgery is useful if there are many scars in a small area, like pitted acne scars. This is done under local anaesthesia. The skin is dermabraded (rubbed) with a special machine till the superficial layers are gone and pits are leveled. The raw area of skin is dressed. Healing time is one week and colour matching takes 1-2 months. Sometimes 2 sittings may be required and overall50- 70 percent improvement occurs.
• Filler: This can work for depressed scars. A filler substance can be injected with a fine needle under the scar to elevate it. This is a quick procedure but works for only few types of scars.
Injections: Red, elevated scars keloid can be removed by surgery and then injected with steroids for next 3 months to get the best result.
» Important things to remember are
• Final result takes 6 months to an year: Therefore make sure to do any plastic surgery well ahead of any important event like marriage.
• If scar is too wide or too deep the surgery may need to be done in two stages with a gap of 3 months.
• Scar can be improved but can not be made to vanish without a trace. Scar revision surgery is like darning an expensive dress or sticking a broken cup with fevi quick. A fine line will always be there.
• Results vary from surgeon to surgeon but more importantly from person to person- on their healing quality.
• Scars on body do not body do not usually improve as much as face scars.
• Aftercare for 6 months is very important.
All scars can not be improved. Some scars and some patients are not ideal candidates for surgery, like
• Very small superficial scar that can not be further improved.
• When person's expectations are unrealistic - he/she expects a 100 percent result without slightest mark, wants instant results or wants guarantees.
• When scar is minimal and person is disproportionately concerned about it. In other words if he/she is psychologically fixated with the scar.
Scars on face can be very traumatic experience. Plastic surgery can Improve most of these scars and enhance the self esteem and quality of life of the patient.
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