Contracture Scars

What Are Contracture Scars?

Contracture scars form when a portion of your skin has been lost due to physical or chemical damage. The net loss of tissue leads to the pulling off not only the surrounding healthy skin but also ligaments, tendons, and muscles, depending on the severity and location of the injury. Extreme cases of contracture scarring can severely impede the range of motion around the neck, shoulder, elbows, and knees. Thus, contracture scars pose both functional and cosmetic concerns to the patient.

What causes contracture scars?

The most frequent cause of contracture scars is severe second- or third-degree burns. This is because burns often affect a large surface area. When these burns heal, the resulting scar can toughen and tighten, causing tension in the scarred and healthy skin surrounding the site of injury. The extent of the original injury is a major contributing factor to the formation of contracture scars, in addition to the patient’s genetic predisposition for aberrant healing processes.

What do contracture scars look like?

Contracture scars arise from contractile wound healing processes in patients who endured a deep physical or chemical injury to the skin over large surface areas. Contracture scars are usually characterized by an unnaturally-looking texture and skin discoloration. They tend to have a thick, rubbery, and fibrous appearance and often take on a shiny luster. Contracture scars can be either hypopigmented or hyperpigmented due to the dysregulation of melanin production. Over time, you may also notice your scars changing in size and depth over time.

What are risk factors for contracture scarring?

Contracture scars usually form after injuries that afflict large skin surface areas. Common hazards that are able to damage large areas of your skin include deep chemical burns caused by industrial-grade acids and detergents. Thermal burns from fires and hot steams/liquids can also heighten your risk of developing contracture scars

What Are The Most Popular Contracture Scar Treatments?

Contracture scars can be challenging to treat due to the large surface area of scarring. Due to functional deficits caused by contracture scarring, surgical intervention is often needed to provide significant relief to patients. The Scar Healing Institute is known to be the top scar revision clinic in California for reconstructive surgery. Under the care of our top dermatologists in Beverly Hills, any of the following reconstructive procedures may be performed on you if you are a good candidate:

1. Skin grafts/flaps: The contracture scar is removed and replaced with healthy skin taken elsewhere on the body, called the donor site. By adding extra skin, this relaxes the tension of the original scar tissue. Depending on the extent of the injury, either a graft or flap can be used to repair the defect. For more superficial excisions, a partial or full-thickness skin graft is used. For more severe defects, skin flaps, which contain their own blood vessels, subcutaneous fat, and muscle tissue, may be needed in areas that lack a strong blood supply.
2. W/Z-plasty: A surgery performed to reduce the tension along the contracture scar. A W/Z-shaped incision is made to disrupt the linear contractile force of the scar and to create a more natural appearance by hiding the scar tissue in natural folds and creases.
3. Tissue expansion (Skinflation): A novel technique in which tissue is stretched with a balloon apparatus to create more available tissue for reconstructive surgery. This is often performed in preparation for skin flap transfer.

If your contracture scar is in its early stages, it can be more easily managed with corticosteroids or laser therapy. This prevents further natural growth and contraction over the maturation process of the scar, thus obviating the need for reconstructive surgery. Our team at this renowned cosmetic scar treatment center in California will take an in-depth look at your skin to determine the best course of action.

Can Contracture Scars Be Permanent?

Contracture scars are generally permanent. They usually start off as benign-looking hypertrophic or keloid scars. Normal skin color and texture may start to improve on their own over time, but without proper intervention, these scars can progress to become more contractile in nature. At this point, only medical intervention, often surgery, can reduce skin tension. Because of the high complexity of such procedures, it is important that you seek medical advice from licensed dermatologic reconstructive surgeons. At the Scar Healing Institute, the best scar treatment clinic in California, our team of highly trained reconstructive surgeons will determine the best course of action for your scars.

What Is The Contracture Scar Removal Cost At the Scar Healing Institute?

The cost of contracture scar removal treatment is highly dependent on the size, complexity, location, and maturation stage of your scar. This will all be determined at your first consultation with our team of top dermatologists in Beverly Hills at the Scar Healing Institute, the leading scar treatment center in California. Our team of experts at the center for best scar removal in California will perform highly advanced ultrasound visualization of your scars before and during your scar treatments.

What Is The Contracture Scar Removal Cost At Scar Healing Institute?

At the center for best scar removal in California, Scar Healing Institute, the cost of Contracture scar removal depends on a myriad of factors including the nature of the scar, its fatality, treatments applied, number of sessions, etc.

How Is The Contracture Scar Removal Treatment At Scar Healing Institute?

Scar Healing Institute is the ultimate destination for contracture scars treatment. Being, the topnotch scar revision clinic in California, we customize the treatments according to the severity of the scar. Under the guidance of our top dermatologists in Beverly Hills, the contracture scar removal treatments here are exhibiting a high success rate these days.