Scar Treatment

Cuts that occur in our body as a result of a surgical procedure or accident, whether they are sutured or heal on their own during the healing phase, always heal with a scar. It is the result of the healing response of the skin after the injury. If these incisions heal on their own, the scars that will remain are much more prominent. However, if the incision is properly closed with sutures in the early period and proper wound care is provided, the scars heal in the least way, even so well that they are not visible.

Scars are also permanent after aesthetic surgeries. However, since the incisions are made in a controlled manner, the suturing of the incisions is appropriate and the scars are designed in hidden areas, they are not visible.

The scars that will remain vary according to the genetics, region, age, race, skin type and health of the person. While scars on the face heal much better, scars in areas such as the anterior chest wall heal much more prominently and poorly. At the same time, incisions parallel to the body lines heal much better, while perpendicular incisions heal much more noticeably. In some people, the scars heal so thin that they are not visible, while in some people they may heal puffy, red and visible. 

Our main goal in scar treatment is to prevent scars before they become bad. Therefore, wound care after surgical procedures, using scar creams recommended by your doctor, using sunscreen, using moisturizers are very important.

Protective Measures

• Local wound care with daily dressing after the incision; thus, the possibility of infection is reduced. A suitable moisture environment and bacteria-free area is created until the wound becomes waterproof.
• Timely removal of stitches; if you have stitches to be removed, it is very important to remove them at the time recommended by your doctor. Stitches are foreign material and can cause unwanted reactions on your skin.
• Local moisturizing and use of sunscreen; sun rays lead to increased pigmentation and cause scars to become permanent. It is very important to avoid the sun, not to go to the solarium and to use sunscreen when going outside.
• Scar creams; gels recommended by your doctor are used for both treatment and prevention.
• Silicone tapes are systems that electrically prevent excessive growth of cells by forming a layer on the wound.

Treatment Options

Surgical treatment: If you have a poorly healed scar, surgery is the process of removing and re-suturing the area. However, since healing is activated again, there is a high probability that it will heal badly and prominently again. Therefore, preventive measures should be very important at this stage. The patient should be closely monitored in this respect. During the surgery, the placement of the incisions according to the body lines can be changed with some plastic surgery (Z-plasty, W-plasty) to ensure that the scars heal well afterwards.

Compression therapy: Compression with special compression systems and silicone sheets can also be used for therapeutic purposes.

Local Steroid (cortisone) application: With appropriate concentrations of steroids directly into the scar, the size of the scars can be reduced, the color can be lightened and complaints such as itching can be reduced. More than one session is often required at 3-week intervals. Since this drug is a low dose and localized application, there are no systemic side effects. 

Laser; fractional CO2 or Coolaser: Scars are intervened with laser. Puffy and dark scars are lowered to the skin level with laser shots and healing is achieved again by lightening their color. It is often recommended in winter months. The response rate of the scars varies from person to person. It is applied painlessly under office circumstances. It requires more than one session. The procedure takes about 10 minutes depending on the scar. Daily life can be continued very easily. Moisturizing creams, epithelizing creams and sunscreen creams are recommended for care. It is always combined with protective measures..