Scar Excision

This is also called scar repair. It involves the resection of old scar tissues and stitching with the finest cosmetic suture to enable wounds for achieving better recovery, thus reducing the probability of scarring. This technique is generally applied to traumatic scar hyperplasia, such as wounds from cutting or surgeries. Surgery should only be considered until 6 months after the healing of prior wounds and uses linear, W-, or Z-type resection in light of the scar site and length. The objective of the surgery is to remove existent fibrotic tissues and allow scar peripheral skins to grow again. Patients should use scar removal silicone gel paste or cosmetic gel or apply scar removal silicone gel at the surgical incisions to help heal the wound and prevent future scarring recurrence 3–6 months after the surgery.

This surgery aims to shrink the scar to an unnoticeable extent under the naked eye rather than completely removing it. Besides, in case of improper postoperative care, the scar recurs or grows again. Therefore, Dr. Chuang recommends that patients should have a correct understanding before the operation and should patiently cooperate with instructions provided for scar care to avoid undue expectations on surgical results.

Surgical Conditions

Duration

0hr
  • Type of anesthesia: Fast asleep + local anesthesia
  • Surgical incision: Facial scar
  • Recovery: 2-3 days
  • Removal of stitches: 7–10 days

General Instructions

No food and water on the day of surgery

0hr
  • Abstain from smoking, alcohol, and spicy and irritating foods for 1 month postoperatively to prevent the problem of wound healing.
  • Wear sunscreen to avoid pigmentation at the surgical site.
  • Take care of the scar fading for 3–6 months postoperatively to prevent further scar recurrence.

Ideal Candidates

  • Patients with scar hyperplasia caused by wound stitching (cutting wound)
  • Those with a linear scar left from prior facial surgeries
  • Those whose scar hyperplasia or adhesion have affected facial or mouth expression

Potential Complications

  • Pigmentation
  • Scar recurrence
  • Poor wound healing
  • Unsatisfactory results

Surgical Advantages

  1. It is able to redress scar proliferation caused by prior improper wound stitching.

  2. It is able to solve prolonged scar at one time, and there is no need for separate surgeries.

  3. It is able to trim irregular scar wounds.

Surgical Drawbacks

  1. Patients need to take care of the scar for 3–6 months, and the waiting duration is relatively long.

  2. If the wound is not properly cared for, the scar may present secondary hyperplasia.

  3. Surgical results may fall short of the expectation of patients.

Before & After

These photographs represent typical results, but not everyone who undergoes plastic surgery will achieve the same.

Scar Excision – Face