What Is Scar Revision Surgery

Trauma, burns or previous surgery with less than meticulous repair often leaves scars on skin, which may be ugly in appearance or have limitations of function if they are over joints or mobile areas.

These scars may be mature scars, hypertrophic scars or keloidal scars. There are both surgical and non-surgical methods of scar revision or scar resurfacing depending on the characteristics of the scar.

In mature scars, they often do not have any symptoms such as itch or pain, but may affect appearance and sometimes function due to their location. These scars may be widened and hypopigmented, making them unsightly. Surgical revision of these scars often produce an excellent aesthetic outcome for the patient.

Hypertrophic scars are raised and coloured either a dark pink or purple, and may exhibit symptoms such as itch or pain. They occur in the weeks following surgery or trauma, but differ from keloids as they almost never extend beyond the initial zone of injury. These may be treated with steroid injections, a surgical scar revision, or in combination. Hypertrophic scars often take a long time to resolve on their own (up to a year), thus possibly resulting in distress in the intervening period.

Keloidal scars can occur years after the initial trauma, and often extend beyond the initial zone of injury. Keloidal scars are notoriously difficult to manage and often recur if treated by surgery alone. A combination treatment is often required, involving injections containing steroid, botulinum toxin, surgical revision and possibly localized radiotherapy.

In certain situations where only pigmentation of the scar is an issue, or perhaps only the slight thickness of the scar presents as a problem, treatments such as laser therapy or dermabrasion can also be employed to obtain a good result.

The appropriate choice can be undertaken after a detailed consultation with our plastic surgeon. Scar revisions are categorized as medical procedures if due to previous trauma, burns or medical surgery.