When the tissues are damaged, scars (scars) are formed in the body’s natural healing process. Tissue damage can occur for any reason that may impair skin integrity such as trauma-related injuries, surgical procedures, animal bites, burns, acne or rash diseases. Interventions to make scars less visible are called scar revisions.
For this, non-surgical methods (such as laser, dermapen, various injections) can be used or additional methods can be used alone or in combination with surgery. Every incision or wound that occurs consciously on the skin (as in surgeries) or accidentally heals by leaving a scar. How pronounced this scar will be depends on many different reasons, such as the type of injury, in which body area the wound occurred, the methods used to repair the wound and the characteristics of the patient’s skin. In scar revisions, the wound can be made less visible or moved to a place where it will be less obvious.
Once the scar has formed, it can take up to two years to stabilize. This process is caused by the body’s own healing methods. The body produces a large number of collagen to heal the wound. In addition, the scar will appear dark in color, reddish as it produces new blood vessels. Over time, less blood is delivered to the scar and thus begins to flatten. Before any treatment, it is necessary not to touch the wound for a while and see the final condition in which it came. Experienced specialists can decide on the time of treatment with the examination.
Scar repair can make a very positive contribution to a person’s appearance, psychological state and social life. Perfect and never visible scar repair is not always possible. However, a successful scar repair in the face or neck area can allow attention to be focused back on the entire face, not just the scar.
Scars can be classified in different ways because they are regular or irregular, raised or collapsed from the skin, dark or light in color, only aesthetic or can cause both aesthetic and functional problems. (such as hypertrophic scar, keloid, scar contracture, atrophic scar) A scar that occurs may limit certain functions other than a disappearance, such as: breathing or closing the eyes in the nose, limitation of movement in the arm or hand.
Each of these scars may require a separate treatment. The timing of the necessary procedures should be discussed in detail with the patient. Scars are usually not treated until they mature over time. Completing all treatments, recovery and getting the desired result is time consuming. Nourishment of the skin is very important in wound healing. Smoking or alcohol consumption; lung, heart, kidney disorders; diabetes; rheumatological and other chronic diseases can adversely affect wound healing. These factors must be taken into consideration in the preoperative evaluation for a successful outcome.
The first stage of treating the scar is to prevent it from occurring. A few precautions can be taken for ideal recovery after injury or surgery. If a broadly hypertrophic wound is present, steroid injections may be tried in the first weeks. These injections can be repeated at intervals of several weeks. After a scar has formed, the appropriate one is selected from different types of treatment. An irregular or raised scar from the skin can be polished with a laser or diamond tour.
A large scar can be surgically cut and removed, creating a thinner scar. Since the straight lines are more visible, the scar can be removed with the “broken line” technique and a new scar with a more aesthetic appearance can be obtained with the help of special angles and shapes. Further surgical techniques may be required, such as moving skin from neighboring areas, to correct more complex and larger scars.
In order to preserve the moisture and softness of the wound during the early healing period, the wound is closed with ointment or covering dressing. Stitches that are not self-absorbed are removed after the 5-7th day. The wound site should be protected from the sun for at least 6 months. Continuity of care is especially important in scar revision. Intermittent follow-up by the same surgeon after the operation is necessary to evaluate the improvement.
