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This operation is
performed to improve the appearance of
scars.
There are many ways to perform scar revision
surgery. The method must be tailored to the
individual patient needs. The operation is
done under either local anesthetic (you are
awake) or general anesthetic (you are
asleep). You can often choose. Most of the
time this is an outpatient operation and a
stay in the hospital is not needed.
All operations have some risk. The risks can
be divided into two groups. First those that
are seen in all operations and second those
that are unique or special for this
operation. In the first group, the main
risks are swelling, bruising, bleeding,
infection, a scar and numbness or change in
feeling.
The main thing to remember about this
operation is that the scar will not
disappear after surgery. All scars are
permanent. The aim is to make your scar less
noticeable. In most cases there is about a
90% chance of improvement. Sometimes the
scar looks about the same after surgery and
there is minimal improvement. In rare cases
the scar can be worse (<1%).
True keloid scars are rarely improved with
surgery alone and so it is important to
distinguish between hypertrphic scars and
keloids. Some surgeons feel that silicone or
oil gel sheets applied to the scar after it
has healed may improve the appearance.
Sometimes steroid injections are used to
reduce the amount of collagen in the wound.
The recovery takes one to two weeks. Most
people are back to work within a week or
two.
The information on this web site is only
intended as an introduction to this
procedure and should not be used to
determine whether you will have the
procedure performed nor as a guarantee of
the result.
The best method of determining your personal
options is to schedule a personal
consultation with Dr. Makki. He will be able
to answer specific questions related to your
situation.
Please don't hesitate to call for any
questions that you might have
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