If you have facial scarring that you would like to have treated, you should know that today’s facial plastic surgeons have a variety of facial scar revision tools and procedures available to help you.
Perhaps you were injured in an accident, or you have scars from acne, disease, burns, or surgical intervention. You may have been hesitant to make an appointment or a scar revision because you think that having a scar revision is frivolous, but it has been shown that unsightly facial scars can substantially reduce a person’s self esteem and confidence level.
An unsightly scar does not just affect how you look, it affects your mental health by negatively impacting how you believe others view you. This affects how you interact with other people and can result in poor interpersonal and professional relationships.
In addition, facial scars can interfere with the ability to form facial expressions and sometimes impair the functioning of facial features such as the lips, eyes, eyelids, nose and brows.
Scar tissue forms naturally as the skin heals from an injury or trauma. Scars differ depending on the extent of the injury, the location, age of the patient, and the nature of the treatment of the wound. The appropriate treatment differs depending on the nature and unique characteristics of the scar. Treatments include dermabrasion, laser therapy, Z-Plasty, W-Plasty, excision, geometric broken line closure and skin grafts.
Your facial plastic surgeon will be happy to discuss various procedures for reducing or minimizing the visibility of scar tissue. While most patients are advised to wait 12 months from the date of an injury to seek a scar revision, you should schedule an initial consultation with your plastic surgeon as soon as possible after an injury. In some cases, immediate intervention is needed to minimize future effects of scarring.