Scars like many things about the body are never quite the same from person to person. They are susceptible to forming as a result of some injury, disease, or other particular circumstance. Scars represent a variety of things and may elicit a greater variety of emotions in those who have them. They can become a major source of stress depending on their location and their size, especially when appearing in areas like the head or face. While removing a scar completely isn’t always possible there is a lot that our surgeons can do at Jefferson Facial Plastics to minimize and disguise their appearance.
Which Scars Do We Most Commonly See?
Contracture Scars – These typically result from burns that affect and destroy large sections of skin. The skin heals but in a disfigured way in which the skin and muscles heal in contracted movements, hence the name of the scars.
Keloid Scars – Also called hypertrophic scars, keloid scars appear as growths that protrude beyond the ordinary boundary of the affected layer of skin (Hypertrophic scars remain within the boundary of the initial wound or incision). They are often thick, elevated, and discolored in appearance and can be painful to the touch.
Atrophic scars – Often the result of severe cases of acne, chickenpox, shingles, etc. atrophic scars tend to look like sunken skin, resembling a pitted appearance, that a loss of fat or muscle tissue are responsible for, due to the inflammation taking place beneath the surface.
Stretch marks – When skin is stretched rapidly, associated with periods of rapid gains in height and weight, usually with matters like pregnancy, stretch marks often form where those gains are the most pronounced. These tend to be in the midsection and abdomen areas.
How Are They Treated?
Again, no two scars are alike, even when they’re of the same classification, but there are certainly ways of treating them to make their appearances less pronounced. The treatments and techniques themselves are always being improved and adapted so when it comes to your personal situation, there is definitely a procedure our surgeons can prescribe that is right for you.
Contracture scars are often treated by seeking to remove as much of the affected area as possible and replacing it with healthy skin just adjacent to its original location. Skin grafts can be used in this situation as well. Keloids are treated to reduce their size and can be removed permanently leaving a much less noticeable scar in their place. Atrophic scars can be treated with lasers and dermabrasion techniques, and while stretch marks can take time, an application of lasers and creams over a prolonged period of time can reduce their appearance dramatically.
Why Not Come in and Find Out What Works Best for You?
If you are self-conscious about your scars and would like one of our spectacular surgeons take a look at them to find out what options you have, why not give us a call at 215-503-FACE to schedule a consultation? You deserve to feel at your most confident in your own skin and we want to help. Contact Jefferson Facial Plastics today so that we can!
