Category: Did You Know | laser resurfacing | scar revision

Plastic Surgery’s Did You Know? The Myth of Laser Scar Removal

When most people think of scar revision they usually think of two things; elimination of the scar and the use of lasers to do it. The reality is that both of these perceived principles of scar revision are wrong. Scars may be able to be improved but they can almost never be removed. Plastic surgeons Read More…

Plastic Surgery’s Did You Know? The Whiteness of Scars and How To Treat It

Scars are the body’s natural method of reuniting skin back together. There are different types of scars but the most typical is the atrophic scars, a flat wide scar.They leave visible marks because the tissue that grows back together does not have some specialized skin cells, particularly pigment cells. This is why scars eventually turn Read More…

Plastic Surgery’s Did You Know? Z-Plasty Scar Revision

There are many techniques for scar revision in plastic surgery but one of the most well known is that of a Z-plasty. It is a technique for either improving the appearance of a scar (by changing the line of tension) or improving its function by contracture release. (elongating the scar) It is based on the Read More…

Fractional Laser Treatments Of Acne Scars

While many methods for skin rejuvenation have been developed, few such methods are helpful for acne scars. The typical skin treatments of microdermabrasion, chemical peels, intense pulsed light and even ablative CO2 laser resurfacing do not produce substantative improvements in the unique contour problems caused by acne. Traditional CO2 laser resurfacing is the best of Read More…

Combined Fractional Laser and Topical Steriods For Hypertrophic Scars

Scar therapy consists of a wide variety of possible treatments from injections, lasers and light devices and surgical excision. There is no one type of scar treatment which is uniformly effective for all scars. There are simply too many types of scars and differing skin types and body locations for any uniform approach to improving Read More…

Facial Disfigurements and Their Impact On Job Interviews

Plastic surgeons have the opportunity to see a lot of patients with a variety of facial disfigurements. Ranging from traumatic injuries to birth defects to defects caused by a variety of neoplastic pathologies, people so afflicted are understandably concerned about their appearance and want to be as whole as possible. They feel, justified or Read More…

Prevention Of Dogbite Injuries To The Face In Children

Dogbites are an unfortunate risk to which all children are potentially exposed. Beyond the trauma of the experience, permanent scarring almost always occur which can leave lifelong marks to be seen by all if it occurs on the face. With millions of dog bites occurring per year, plastic surgeons are involved in a lot of Read More…

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) Scar Injections – Science and Dosing

The treatment of problematic scars or the excessive buildup of scar tissue underneath the skin after surgery can be a very difficult problem. The most common treatment has been the use of intralesional injections using Kenalog. (triamcinolone acetonide) While this has proven effective for many scar problems, it does not always work and is associated Read More…

The Concept and Benefits of Geometric Scar Revision

When topical therapies fail and the scar is unfavorable, resorting to scar revision is necessary. There is a lot to be said about time for scar maturation, but scars that are depressed, raised or excessively wide do not substantially improve as they heal in many cases. Many scars do not need an elaborate revision Read More…

Scar Types and their Descriptions

Any interruption of the skin, whether from a fall on the ground, an accident on the job, or from the surgeon’s knife, prompts the complicated and not yet fully understood process of healing, the end result of which is a scar. However, the word “scar” often invokes the image of an unwanted deviation of the Read More…