Scars are visible marks left on the skin after a wound has healed. They are the inevitable result of an injury or a surgery, and clearly visible and ugly looking scars or scars causing a disfigurement are the product of complicated healing. Scars may form a bump or a hollow, their colour and texture may differ from the surrounding healthy tissue, or they may be particularly noticeable due to their size, shape or location.
Scar removal plastic surgery is performed to turn the colour and texture of the scar as close as possible to the surrounding skin. However, although the appearance of the scar is improved, it is not possible to remove the scar completely.
What are the types of scars?
Scars that have a varied colour, uneven surface and other comparatively delicate scars may be cosmetically masked by a surgery or using another method recommended by your surgeon. This type of scars does not cause physical discomfort. This category also includes acne scars and scars resulting from minor injuries and previous surgical treatments.
Hypertrophic scars are thick layers of scar tissue that have developed in an injury area. Usually, they are raised, red and/or cause unpleasant sensations, and may stretch become a bit wider over time. They may also be hyperpigmented (darker in colour) or hypopigmented (lighter in colour).
Keloid scars are larger than hypertrophic scars. They can spread beyond the wound or the incision area. Keloid scars may occur anywhere on your body, however, most often they appear in areas where fatty tissue is present, such as the face, the neck, the ears, the chest, or the shoulders.
Scar contractures are scars limiting your movements due to the contraction of the skin and major tissues at the time of healing. They can occur when a significant amount of tissue is lost, such as following a burn injury. If scar contractures occur in locations where a wound connects to a joint, the movement of fingers, elbows, knees or neck may be limited.
Following an evaluation of your scar type, the plastic surgeon will determine the techniques to be applied to improve the appearance of the skin affected by the scar. In majority of cases, scar treatment or scar correction will be required.
Most commonly, the surgery is performed under local anaesthesia, i.e., you will not feel pain but you will remain awake throughout the procedure. There will be no need to stay at the clinic following the surgery, and you will be able to go home right away.
Progress and healing
At the initial healing stage following the scar removal plastic surgery, swelling, discoloration or discomfort occurs in the affected area. These symptoms may last one to two weeks. The healing will further continue for a few more weeks and, once healed, the new scar will fade.
The result of scar removal plastic surgery will be lasting but, in some cases, the process required for the new scar to heal up completely and fade may take between a few months to one year.
Other scar treatment options
Treatment of problematic skin and scar treatment is also performed using the carboxytherapy method. In this case, the scar removal procedure is based on carbon dioxide gas, which is injected into the skin.
Carboxytherapy is an effective method involving efficient removal of scars of different types, improvement of the skin condition in the scar area, and restoration of skin firmness.
3–5 treatments are required to achieve visible scar removal results. In more difficult cases, a course of 10 treatments may be required. The treatments are repeated every 3 weeks.
The price of postoperative scar removal in the abdominal and chest area is € 40–50. Carboxytherapy not only helps remove scars but also efficiently treat stretch marks (price: € 60–80).
