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Can Plastic Surgery Remove Scars?

What Causes a Scar?

Accidents, surgeries and burns leave scars on skin. The 3 types of common scars are keloids, hypertrophic scars and contractures.

Frequencies of Surgeries to Remove Scars

Scar revision was the third most common reconstructive surgery in 2010. Americans have an estimated 840 million people with scars and 169 million of these are keloid or hypertrophic.

Considerations for Surgical Scar Removal

Be evaluated by a plastic surgeon in order plan scar removal surgery.  These are the criteria that will be considered:

• Medical history, age and overall health
• Severity of the scar
• Location and type of scar
• Your tolerance for specific procedures, therapy and medications
• Your expectations for the type of treatment being considered
• Your personal preference or opinion

Surgical Treatment for Scars

There are many surgical procedures for scars. For instance, small scars, particularly those on your face, can be minimized by dermabrasion.

Scar Treatment with Laser Surgery

There are several types of lasers used for scar removal, which are appropriate for keloids, hypertrophic and atrophic scarring.

The laser is moved along the scar, which will vaporize the top layer of skin, exposing the more natural looking skin underneath and minimizing the scar.

Surgery for More Serious Scars

Z-plasty surgery is used for facial scars. This procedure repositions a scar to conform to the natural creases or lines in your face. The existing scar is surgically removed. Flaps of skin are created and arranged to cover the wound at a different angle, then closed with tiny stitches. Your scar will be much less visible.

Skin graphs are another option. This procedure involves taking skin from a healthy part of the body to cover the scarred area.

The flap procedure is used for complex scar revisions. This is also a skin graph using healthy skin with blood vessels, some underlying fat and muscle may be used also.

There are many surgical procedures that can remove or certainly minimize your scar.