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Non Surgical Solutions : Facial Scars
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Scars on the skin often leave behind scars on the soul. Plastic surgery has always been at pains to produce as inconspicuous scars as possible. A scar develops when the skin heals after surgery, burns, acne lesions or accidents. Facials scars are any scar developing over the scalp, head or neck.
The scar can be a straight line, zigzagged or like an ice pick scar in the case of acne. It can be flat or raised. It can have the same skin color or be darker or lighter than the adjacent skin.
We can never eliminate or completely erase a scar, but we can reduce it through injections, special lasers, chemical peels, dermabrasion, tissue expanders or surgical scar revision. The darker the skin color the less options we have to treat a scar.
At what age are scars easiest to diminish?
We do not usually perform scar corrections or reconstructive surgery until the patient is at least six years old.
There is no ideal age to treat a scar although the best time to treat an unsightly scar is when the scar is 2-3 months old.
Can any skin cream help to diminish or remove scars?
And if so what are some key ingredients we should look for in a cream that may help?
There are some herbal based creams that help in the healing of a scar. (Contractubex). It is effective only if applied during the first three months of the development of the scar.
Applying a sheet of silicone during scar formation can also help diminish its size.
Another effective treatment is the intra-lesional injection of small amounts of cortisone (Kenecort) in the scar during the first 3-12 months of its formation especially if the scar is painful, itchy, or red or thick. The injection can flatten an otherwise elevated scar (hypertrophic scar). Care should be taken to avoid injecting too much or too deep in order to avoid shrinking fat under the scar thereby creating a depressed scar.
The CO2 laser can be used to improve certain scars by 40-60%, Wide or elevated scars can be surgically excised (scar revision).The uglier the scar, the more likely to improve with surgery.
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