Scar improvement has several phases and the condition of your body and how the wound occurred have parts to play. Early on after wounding there is the question of whether or not to have surgery to repair the wound. If the edges are clean and close together, then surgery is not always beneficial. If they are apart or the wound is dirty a proper medical evaluation and/or surgery can make things better down the line. When in doubt, get that evaluation.

Once the wound has started healing, if the edges are were not put together or were traumatized then scar tissue will form along those areas. Scar tissue doesn’t look like regular tissue. It doesn’t tan like regular tissue and it can be lumpy or obvious.

Surgery can improve a scar at this stage, but that scar should be allowed to mature before surgery is performed in most cases. The tissue softens and this makes the results of scar revision surgery potentially better.

In your case if a year has elapsed I would say have a good plastic surgeon look at your scar to give you an opinion on the potential for improvement. Many small scar revision procedures can be done under local (numbing only) shots in the office to keep the cost down.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

Scar Revision

Originally posted 2010-06-16 07:30:09.