Scar Care

If your scar remains visible a year after an injury or surgery, a scar reduction procedure can help. An Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) plastic surgeon will work to make your scar blend in more with the color and texture of nearby skin, so you can feel more confident about your appearance.

Scar Revision Techniques

You’ll receive personalized scar revision treatment based on your type of scar.

Keloid Scars

These thick, reddish, dark clusters grow beyond the original scar after the wound heals. Your plastic surgeon may recommend treating keloid scars with:

  • Pressure bandage worn for several months to help shrink the scar tissue
  • Steroid injections, which can soften or shrink the scar and make it less itchy
  • Surgical removal

Hypertrophic Scars

Unlike keloid scars, these thick, reddish, dark masses don’t spread beyond the original wound site. Treatment may start with steroid injections and, if necessary, progress to surgical removal. You might benefit from receiving steroids for up to two years to keep the hypertrophic scar from returning.

Contracture

Burns or other injuries can contract the skin and lead to scars that limit your flexibility. A plastic surgeon may remove the scarred area and replace it with one of the following:

  • Skin graft – Moves healthy skin from another part of the body to close the wound
  • Skin flap – Moves healthy skin, fat, and, sometimes, muscle to a wound.

Afterward, physical therapy can help restore your mobility.

Facial Scars

A plastic surgeon may surgically remove a scar on your face and use fine, barely visible stitches to close the skin—thus forming a faint, less noticeable scar. Dermabrasion (skin polishing) also can help make a facial scar fade.

Z-Plasty

During Z-plasty, a surgeon removes a Z-shaped piece of skin that includes the scar. The incision leaves a new, less noticeable scar that’s closed with fine stitches and blends in better with the skin’s natural contours.

Scar Revision Results

It may take up to a year for the full benefits of scar reduction treatment to appear. Your outcome depends on factors such as:

  • Your general health
  • Type, location, and size of the scar
  • Your skin color and texture

Count on your OMC plastic surgery team to explore all your treatment options so you can experience the best possible long-term results.