Scar revision
Interventions for making the scar look less visible are called scar revisions. Non-surgical methods, surgical or combined methods may be used for this operation. Each cut or wound on the skin which is made in surgeries or occurred after a trauma, leaves a scar behind. The visibility of this scar depends on various factors such as the type of trauma, the area, methods that are used for wound care, properties of patient’s skin. Scar revision covers the correction of scars that occurred after surgeries or traumas. Scar revision may affect patient’s look, psychological condition and social life very positively. A perfect, invisible scar revision is not always possible. However, a successful scar removal from the face or neck may get the focus on the face as a whole, rather than just the scar.
Structure of the Skin
Thickness of the skin and its elasticity is very variable. Skin tension lines are a complex property of the skin. These lines become visible as a result of muscle functions as in the example of forehead wrinkles. After the incisions vertical to skin tension lines, scar is stretched and warped with the contraction of muscles in the process of recovery. Negative effect of the muscles is especially clear in the cases with incisions made in angles with skin tension lines. Scars recover better when the incisions are made parallel to the skin lines. Some areas of the face have better recovery than other areas for wound recovery as well.
Treatment
The first step of treating a scar is to prevent it from happening. Some precautions can be taken for ideal recovery after trauma or surgery. If there is a wide hypertrophic wound present, steroid injections may be tried for the first weeks. These injections can be repeated with several weeks between each other. After a scar is developed, proper treatment method should be chosen. Irregular or hypertrophic scar can be shined with laser or diamond tour. A wide scar can be removed surgically or transformed into a thinner scar. Because of the fact that straight lines are more visible, scar can be removed with “warp line” technique and a more aesthetic scar can be made with the help of special angle and shapes. In order to correct more complex and large scars, further surgical techniques such as skin translocation from neighboring areas.