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Postsurgical scarring is a natural and unavoidable consequence of wound healing following injury to the skin. Unnatural elevation, pigmentary changes, and irregular textural appearances of scars often present aesthetic concerns to patients. While scars usually fade on their own, more severe cases of scarring may require surgical- and non-surgical approaches to achieve optimal correction. Here at the Scar Healing Institute, our team of expert dermatologists is trained in the best surgical scar revision techniques as well as minimally invasive energy-based and non-energy-based treatment.
Surgical scars can take on a variety of different clinical morphologies based on elevation and pigmentation:
You may notice that your scars may change over time. For instance, hypertrophic scars may start to flatten over the course of several years. Erythema also tends to settle down as your wound fully heals. Depending on which stage of scar maturation you are in, you may not require additional medical intervention. However, it is still wise to seek medical attention, since scars are more difficult to treat after they have fully matured. Our SHI team is equipped to perform the best surgical scar revision in California for the most severe cases of surgical scarring.
As with all scars, surgical scars tend to fade on their own but can remain permanent for certain individuals. Early intervention is key in these cases. Intralesional steroid injections can stop prolonged inflammation in the skin, thereby preventing the destruction of normal skin tissue. For mature surgical scars, more aggressive treatments, such as those listed below, may be required for optimal results. The Scar Healing Institute, the best surgical scar revision treatment center in California, provides the most highly advanced treatments for surgical scar removal.
Surgical scars can appear anywhere on the body. More severe cases of scarring, such as keloid scars, usually appear on areas of high skin tension, such as the chest and back, and areas of high joint mobility, such as the shoulders and elbows. Wound care following surgical procedures is important for preventing excessive stress on the wound and potential bacterial infection, both of which can contribute to more severe scarring. Corticosteroid injections and creams can further prevent the formation of scars anywhere on your body.
Choosing the best scar treatment for your surgical scars requires an in-depth physical examination of your scars by our physicians at the Scar Healing Institute, the best scar treatment center in California. Based on their assessments, we are likely to administer one or a combination of the following scar treatments depending on the clinical morphology, severity, and location of your surgical scarring.
There are multiple types of laser modalities available, including ablative and non-ablative lasers. Ablative lasers, such as CO2 and erbium: YAG lasers, are effective for causing subclinical inflammation, triggering the formation of new collagen in a more normal, mesh-like distribution and thus restoring a natural texture. Non-ablative lasers, such as Nd: YAG, pulse-dyed, and alexandrite diode lasers, can similarly induce collagen production but leave the epidermal and dermal layers intact. Although the downtime is much less, the results are not as drastic. Non-ablative lasers can also target blood vessels to treat persistent redness or erythema. Because surgical scars vary widely in terms of clinical severity, morphology, and anatomical location, it is best to consult with our team of experts at the Scar Healing Institute, the best scar removal laser clinic in California.
Intralesional corticosteroid shots work best for hypertrophic surgical scars. They exert their action by reducing collagen synthesis. Because hypertrophic scars result from excessive collagen deposition, these intralesional shots effectively soften and flatten hardened scar tissue. Corticosteroids also have potent anti-inflammatory properties, which can help treat redness, irritation, and recurrence of scarring.
Bleomycin is an antibiotic chemotherapy drug that also works best for raised surgical scars. It works by causing apoptosis or cell death of collagen-producing cells, called fibroblasts, effectively reducing the total collagen content in the scar. Combining bleomycin with other treatment modalities, such as corticosteroids and laser therapy, can help produce optimal results.
A simple, outpatient procedure for atrophic scars in which a hypodermic instrument is inserted underneath the scar to sever fibrotic tethers that “pull” the scar downwards. The back-and-forth movement of the needle creates a wound pocket that facilitates connective tissue formation, thereby lifting the atrophic scar to the level of the surrounding healthy skin. The Scar Healing Institute, the best surgical scar revision treatment center in California, is known for its hallmark multi-layer subcision treatments.
Chemical peels come in various grades. Light superficial peels are effective for treating hyperpigmentation and uneven texture. Medium-depth and deep peels, such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or phenol, are more effective for deeper atrophic scars. However, it is not recommended to apply these chemical peels to large surface areas, as this can induce additional scarring in areas of healthy skin. Instead, at the Scar Healing Institute, we perform Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Scarring (CROSS), in which deep chemical peeling agents are applied directly to scar tissue with a fine paintbrush. While most clinics perform TCA CROSS, our team of the best-rated dermatologists in California has our own proprietary chemical CROSS treatment.
This is a method that involves direct physical ablation of the scar with a rotary handpiece. Because this targets the upper layers of the skin, it is most effective for “buffing” scars with minor textural unevenness or borders. Thus, dermabrasion often serves as an effective final complementary step to other frontline treatment modalities, such as subcision or potent bleomycin/corticosteroid shots, that are implemented first to correct the original defect as much as possible.
For patients whose scars are resistant to the non-invasive treatments listed above, the last resort is performing scar removal surgery in California by our best-rated dermatologists at the Scar Healing Institute. The following techniques can be applied:
The surgical scar is removed and replaced with healthy skin taken elsewhere on the body, called the donor site. Adding extra skin 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.
Surgery was performed to reduce the tension along the surgical 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.
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.
The Scar Healing Institute is the best skin clinic for scar removal, specifically for C-section scar removal. If your C-section scars are already well controlled, they have a higher likelihood of being successfully corrected with simple intralesional steroid shots or chemotherapeutic agents. For more severe cases, C section scar revision surgery through approaches, such as those listed above, may be required to achieve optimal outcomes.
The cost of surgical 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.