What is scar revision?

All the treatments to repair or remove scars caused by burns, scratches, accidents and etc, are called scar revision. The human skin can be injured scratched, burned and so on through various incidents and occurrences that will heal after a relatively short period of time , but what is left with you for a long time after the wound is healed is the scar that the wound has left behind. Skin scars create unpleasant appearance on the surface of the skin, and most people tend to revision scars caused by their wounds. These scars might be different in colour from other parts of the skin or may form as bumps and hollows. Causing inconsistency on the surface of the skin and as a result it reduces one's self-confidence and causes embarrassment.

Different types of scars

Skin scars have different shapes and forms based on the cause. Identifying the exact type of scar can greatly help in treating these skin lesions.

hypertrophic scar (prominent) :

This type of scar includes the accumulation of damaged cells of the tissue in the area. Hypertrophic scars are usually prominent and red. As a result, they cause physical and mental discomfort. This type of scar becomes larger over time.

Hypertrophic scars fall into two categories based on their colour:

hypopigmented : a type of Hypertrophic scar that is brighter than the surrounding tissues
hyperpigmented : a type of hypertrophic scar that is darker than the surrounding tissues
keloid scars : It is larger in size than hypertrophic scars, causing blistering and swelling on the skin. Keloidal scars can cause pain and itching at the area and may develop at any part of the body. Of course these scars are more common in places such as the neck ,chest , shoulders and face.

Specific treatment methods for keloid scar :

Corticosteroids Injection: To reduce itching and redness
Cryotherapy: Includes freezing the scar
pressure treatment: heals the wound by making constant pressure on the wound for 4-6 months.
laser therapy: causes the scar to fade and recovers its roughness
surgery : If other therapies did not work, surgery can be performed to remove the wound and recover it through skin graft.

Contructure scars :

these scars are caused due to the tightening of the skin and its underlying tissues during the wound recovery .The difference between these scars and other scars is the restriction of movement they make for the patient. Contructure scars occur more often in areas where the skin is burned or places where the wound is located on the joint and causes movement restriction for the patient in the elbow, wrist fingers and neck areas. As mentioned, knowing the exact type of the scar is very effective in determining the method of scar repair.

General methods for scar revision

There are various methods for reparing scars caused by skin damages which include surgical and non surgical methods. In the following we'll have a brief introduction to the various types of scar revision methods.

Scar revision through microdermabrasion method

This method is used for reparing scars caused by surgical procedures or acne and for lessening the appearance of wound scars and for repairing skin roughness. Microdermabrasion involves the removal of superficial layers of the skin by an electrical device that causes skin abrasion .as a result, it recovers the skin and improves its transparency.

Scar revision through chemical peeling (chemoexfoliation)

This technique is used for repairing and reducing damages caused by sunburn and superficial scars. In this method , the topmost layer of the skin is exfoliated and so the upper layers of the skin including the epidermis and dermis have the opportunity to regenerate all over again.

Scar revision through collagen injection

This technique uses collagen injection under the skin to repair wrinkles and scar lines. Scar revision by corticosteroids injection This method is used to smooth the skin in the wound area and to shrink hard scars.

Scar revision through laser

Using laser energy, the outer layer of the damaged skin's surface is removed and small scars are eliminated.

Scar revision through steroid injection

By injecting steroids into the scar , the redness and swelling of the scar disappears and the skin appears better.

Scar revision through surgery

In the procedure of scar revision through surgery the scar is completely removed and this will remove the trace of the wound . Although using the surgical method causes new scar itself, but the scar made by surgery is much less obvious than the previous scar. scar revision through surgery is often used to repair large and wide scars.

Scar revision through skin graft (flap)

In this method , after the previous scar is completely removed, the surgeon repair the scar area through a skin graft. In other words, the skin is removed from other parts of the body and transplanted into the scar to help repair the damaged area in addition to improving the appearance of the scar.

Scar revision through Z-plasty

Z-plasty technique is a type of surgery to reduce the amount of skin shrinkage around the wound. In this method , an incision is made in the shape of the letter Z in the scar area until the scar edges are modified to fit in the natural tension lines of the skin and finally repaired by fine sutures to give a more desirable appearance to the skin.

Am i a suitable candidate for scar revision?

If you want to repair the scar caused by a variety of skin injuries, you can use a variety of non-surgical and surgical methods depending on the type and the shape of the scar. If you have to undergo a surgical procedure for scar revision at the discretion and opinion of your doctor, you should know that the following conditions are necessary to perform the scar revision procedure:

the width of the wound has to be more than 2 mm, in other words the scar left in the skin has to be a type of wide wounds.
The wounds should be deep or prominent type
The scar has changed the shape of the surrounding areas
The patient is completely physically healthy
If possible, non-surgical procedures should be used for scar revision before surgery