Unfortunately, sometimes the body's healing results in scars which are unsightly or cause unwanted symptoms such as tightness or pain. The process of scar revision involves the removal of the offending scar and its replacement with an improved surrounding skin or soft tissue. This may allow the scar to be minimized and camouflaged in a much functional and aesthetic way.
Scars are one of the few things whose appearance tends to improve with age. What are often thickened, unsightly scars at first can become thinner and almost unnoticeable with time. Scars commonly undergo several stages of healing. A carefully closed incision or wound will typically have a small amount of swelling and bruising over the first several days after the injury or procedure. Sutures are then removed, if necessary, and wound healing and scar production begins. The body brings in natural building blocks such as collagen to the area of the wound to allow the area of scar to be bridged and sealed.
The scar will appear to become more lumpy and redder at first. This process will take between two and six weeks. Between approximately four and eight weeks the scar will look much wider and redder than it did initially. This is usually the worst the scar will look, and this is a natural part of the healing process. The scar will tend to remain red for 1-6 months afterwards. After that as the collagen, fibers and scar organizes and matures, the scar tends to contract down and flatten out. The color becomes less red and begins to take on the color and appearance of the surrounding tissue. It will then gently fade with time.
Sometimes scars do not heal as expected or described above. In some individuals, the scars can actually overgrow the edges of the wounds and get larger, rather than smaller, with time. Such healing scars are known as keloids. They tend to occur most frequently in individuals with darker and thicker skin. Fortunately, though, most people do not develop keloids. In fact, the vast majority of people who think they have keloids and have one or more wide scars have a type of scarring called hypertrophic scarring instead. A plastic surgeon will discuss the details of keloids vs. hypertrophic and other sorts of scars with you in detail at your consultation.
Keloids can sometimes become a significant problem and may be very difficult to treat. They can result in cauliflower-like over-growths of skin and are quite prone and often recur even if removed by the most careful surgeon. Keloids are most commonly treated with direct excision or removal of the area. Additional treatments such as steroid injections, surface creams and even radiation may be attempted or required as dictated by the lesion. Unfortunately, the recurrence rate of keloids may be greater than 50% in even the most experienced hands.
Dave Stringham, the President of LookingYourBest.com writes about plastic surgery in Los Angeles, California and plastic surgery procedures such as los angeles scar revision, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, rhytidectomy, and brachioplasty.
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