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The one thing that
is guaranteed with body contouring surgery is that you will get
a scar where the skin
is cut. Depending on the procedure chosen (and your own healing
process) your scar may fade to be smooth, flat and almost invisible.
But there are some patients that end up with visible and
unattractive scars.
There are various reasons a patient
may end up with a problem scar after cosmetic plastic surgery
.
A persons medical history or some medical conditions may contribute
to problem scarring.
Other factors could be skin colour, improper cleaning or infection
of the incision, injury to the incision
site while healing, exposure to sunlight, poor nutrition and age.
There are a few options available for
those wanting to approve the appearance of their liposuction,
tummy tuck or other surgery scars and your plastic surgeon may
recommend one of the
following treatments:
Vitamin E:
Some surgeons suggests a patient rub Vitamin E oil on their incision
site once it has closed.
Some think it improves the appearance of the scar, others think
it just keeps the scar moisturized but
nothing more.
Silicone Sheeting:
The most recognized product for reducing redness and flattening
a scar is a silicone
based product. Silicone sheeting is a product you can buy at your
surgeons office or you may be
referred to a hospital. It comes in a strip that you cut into
pieces and stick onto your scar. These
pieces need to be replaced every 10 days or so.
Silicone Gel:
You can also buy a silicone product in a gel form, like Dermatix™
Si Gel. The gel has
similar properties as silicone sheeting but dries in a thin layer
acting like an extra layer of skin.
If a scar does not respond to the above
treatments there are some other procedures such as scar
revision, cortisone injections or laser treatment available. Your
plastic surgeon would be able to
suggest the right action for you to take.
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Courtesy of Valeant Canada
Why do scars form?
When the skin is damaged the body responds in three phases; inflammation,
rebuilding and
remodelling. The immune system responds immediately to fight off
infection. The body produces
inflammation to fight against infection. Inflammation causes an
increase in the local blood supply so
that large numbers of white blood cells can be brought to the damaged
area to fight infection. During
the rebuilding phase, the skin begins to repair the damage to help
heal the wound so that it may close.
Collagen fibres are produced during the repair process. Finally,
in the remodelling phase, more
collagen fibres are produced and organized to increase the strength
of the skin. Often, the immune
system overreacts with more white cells and collagen than necessary,
causing excessive scarring that
is red, raised and unattractive. A scar looks different from normal
skin because fibres are organized
differently than in normal skin. The resulting scar is genetically
determined. Scarring can be worse in
certain races (heavily pigmented skin), certain areas (chest, shoulders,
upper back, jaw line), at certain
ages (younger) and if placed across lines of skin tension.
What is a keloid scar?
A keloid is an overgrowth of scar tissue at the site of a skin wound.
The new tissue is elevated,
rounded, and firm, with irregular and claw-like margins. Keloids
occur most often in heavily pigmented
people and tend to get progressively worse.
What is a hypertrophic scar?
A hypertrophic scar is a wound that heals to greater than normal
size as a result of an aggressive lay
down of collagen, contained in larger than normal skin cells, producing
a raised, smooth,
hyperpigmented result. The site maintains a higher than normal level
of sensitivity and the tissue is
more fibrous in structure. |
