6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS

6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS

CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

by Sandia Skin + Face
Albuquerque, NM

6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Scar development occurs after surgery. It is the body’s response to any injury, and as the body heals, tissue is formed to close the skin. Two main types of scars generally occur post-surgery being Atrophic and Hypertrophic.

Age, ethnicity, and heredity all play a role in the formation of scars, which are also more common in some people.

WHAT ARE THE TYPE OF SCARS?

Scars can foster anyplace on the skin. There are a several types of scars, including:

  • Depressed (atrophic): Acne or chickenpox are two common causes of these sunken scars. They have the appearance of small skin indentations or rounded pits. Additionally called ice pick scars, they foster most frequently on the face. Skin inflammation scars might turn out to be more recognizable as you age on the grounds that the skin loses collagen and flexibility over the long haul.
  • Keloids: These scars are raised higher than the skin’s surface and spread past the injured region. The congested scar tissue can get enormous and may influence development.
  • Raised (hypertrophic): When you run your finger over a hypertrophic scar, you can feel it. These raised scars might get more modest over the long run, yet they never totally straighten out. Dissimilar to keloids, they don’t develop or spread past the injured region.

WHAT ARE THE 6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS?

There are six (6) relevant post-surgical scar treatment options that are worthy of your consideration.

We will go through each of these treatment options one at a time to help you understand the treatment procedure, along with any pros and cons.

1. RECOMMENDED CLEANING PROCEDURE FOR POST-SURGICAL SCARS

After an injury has healed, scarring might be present.

Using a topical ointment is one way to treat surgical incisions as they heal. Vaseline or Petrolatum are most frequently used to assist with wound healing.

Applying the balm day to day will assist with mending.

Below are some good steps to follow as you heal from surgery:

  • Continuously keep your scar clean. To get rid of debris and keep germs at bay, gently wash the area with water and mild soap, or cotton swabs with hydrogen peroxide.
  • To assist the scar with recuperating, use petroleum jelly to keep the injury moist. Oil jam keeps the injury from drying out and shaping a scab; wounds with scabs take more time to mend. This will likewise assist with keeping a scar from getting excessively huge, profound, or bothersome. If the scar is cleaned daily, utilizing bacterial ointments usually isn’t required.
  • After cleaning the post-surgical scar and applying petroleum jelly or a comparable treatment, cover the skin with a glue swath. For larger scars, it might be useful to utilize hydrogel or silicone gel sheets.
  • As the wound is healing, avoid any sun exposure.
  • After the wound has healed, cover it with sunscreen. Sun insurance might assist with diminishing red or earthy colored staining and assist the scar with blurring quickerWe recommend using a mineral sunscreen like Elta MD’s UV Elements or Skin Medica’s Mineral Shield. .

2. BBL (BROAD BAND LASER) FOR SCAR TREATMENT

BBL (Broadband Light), also called Pulsed Light (IPL), is a laser light treatment that deals with pigment issues. This includes brown-colored spots, sun-damaged skin, red spots, and rosacea.

The uneven pigment is dispersed as the bright light travels through the epidermis, bringing the pigment-producing cells out.

BBL/IPL can be utilized on the face, neck, chest, shoulders, back of the arms, legs, and many other skin areas.

As long as you are at least 4 weeks post-procedure for post-surgical scars, we can start using a series of BBL treatments to improve the appearance of the scars.

To treat post-surgical scars, BBL warms your skin layers in a controlled way. This warming of the deeper dermis causes collagen redesigning and the multiplication of skin parts like fibroblasts, which make a scar become raised, hollowed, and pigmented.

After the treatment, your skin professional will clean your skin. There will likely be some redness and puffiness at the treatment sites, but there will be no significant downtime. Make certain to avoid the sun for the following week and be frequent in your sunscreen application.

For best results, 6 treatments are typically recommended, 2 weeks apart.

The length of treatment is dependent on the number of regions being dealt with. Allocate 10-30 minutes to an hour for your treatment time.

A little bit of discomfort can accompany any laser treatment. The sensation is compared by patients to a rubber band snapping against their skin. If you need additional pain relief, we offer Pronox, an inhalable analgesic.

3. SKIN MEDICA POST-SURGICAL SCAR RECOVERY GEL TREATMENT

SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel smooths and limits the presence of scars. This treatment gel is clinically demonstrated to address different steps of scar development, emphatically working on the mending system. Minimize scars and further improve the look of the scars you have with SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel.

Apply morning and night directly onto post-surgical scars using your fingertip to uniformly apply a “pea-sized” amount of gel. Continue use until the scar is flat and white and there is no redness.

Apply a thin layer two times per day. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after. Keep the gel away from your eyes. If eye contact occurs, flush your eyes completely with cool, clean water. End use of gel if skin redness or rash happens. If redness or rash continues, counsel a specialist.

4. STEROID TREATMENT FOR POST-SURGICAL SCARS

The clinical name for the kind of steroid utilized in intralesional (scar tissue) is called triamcinolone or Kenalog injections.

Steroids have strong anti-inflammatory properties, which can assist with decreasing enlarged scars that are red, tender or tingle.

A class of corticosteroids known as triamcinolone can also be found in numerous gels and creams that are used to treat a variety of skin conditions. In nature, corticosteroids are found as organic chemicals delivered in the adrenal cortex of warm-blooded animals and different vertebrates.

Steroid shots are typically given in our office after a scar has healed.

If a hypertrophic scar or keloid occurs after a procedure, we may prescribe getting steroid injections  every four to six weeks, restricting the total number of injections to four or five. This procedure requires around 15 minutes, and frequently no sedation is required.

In the hours after an injection, massage the scar gently.

Some side effects include thin or indented skin at the site of the infusion, risk of bleeding, mild to severe pain, bruising, and infection. Some patients experience contact dermatitis from treatments, known as eczema, an itchy, scaly rash on the skin.

Studies [Link] by the National Library of Medicine showed steroids to have positive effects in minimizing scarring.

5. CO2 LASER FOR REMOVING POST-SURGICAL SCARS

Laser scar revision with a CO2 Laser is a successful strategy for treating many scars that further develops skin surface and pigmentation as well as practical perspectives.

The consequence of fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing can minimize the appearance of raised hypertrophic scars, making them more uniform.

The CO2 laser’s ability to safely treat facial skin as well as other parts of the body is particularly valued by patients.

A fractional CO2 laser works by ablating the epidermal tissue creating indentions in the skin. We then add Kenalog immediately to the ablated skin to help flatten the scar.

Your body will then naturally repair those indentions, resulting in the formation of new skin to replace the damaged skin.

The outcome is fresher and more youthful-looking skin once healing is finished.

After a CO2 laser scar treatment, your skin might look hazier, lighter, or red. You may observe this appearance for a few months after treatment. Some crusting, swelling, bruising, or scabbing may appear for one to two weeks following a CO2 laser treatment.

Once your post-surgical scar is removed with a CO2 fractional laser, it will never return.

The National Library of Medicine did a study, Efficacy, and Safety of Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing in Non-hypertrophic Traumatic and Burn Scars, that showed the positive results of CO2 lasers.

6. RF MICRONEEDLING FOR REMOVING POST-SURGICAL SCARS

RF microneedling for scarring (radio-frequency micro-needling) is a minimally invasive therapy that includes the utilization of clinical-grade fine needles to make a ‘controlled injury’ to your skin.

This treatment works by stimulating your normal collagen and elastin creation as well as the body’s mending process by warming the hidden layers of skin with radiofrequency waves to advance restored skin.

Radiofrequency Microneedling for post-surgical scars is rapidly becoming the ‘go-to’ treatment. It can treat most scars on the face and body, including post-surgical scars.

After each RF microneedling treatment, your skin will feel warm and may be slightly sensitive, like a mild sunburn. Pinpoint bleeding can occur, and this is perfectly normal and a result we want to achieve in some instances.

Typically, a course of three treatments is recommended, with one treatment every 4–6 weeks. However, some post-surgical scars may need more frequent treatments or require a longer healing time between sessions.

At your initial consultation, your post-surgical scars will be assessed, and your practitioner will advise you on the cost of your customized treatment. Treatment times and costs are dependent on the type of scarring that you have and the number of sessions that are required to achieve the desired results.

Results are long-lasting. For most post-surgical scars, once your RF microneedling course is completed, you will need no further treatments. One exception is when further damage to your skin takes place. For example, stretch marks may require maintenance treatments.

CONCLUSION: 6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS

You should now be on a firm footing with our 6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS article and be ready to make your appointment!

If we’ve missed questions in our 6 BEST POST-SURGICAL SCAR TREATMENTS article, you need answers to make your appointment decision, you can tap this link to call us (+1.505.291.9600), or you can ask us a question on our Google Business Profile listing via this link: https://bit.ly/34EFbVP.

At Sandia Skin + Face in Albuquerque, NM, we look forward to being your Trusted Medical Spa Services provider. Let us know how we can earn your trust!

Before-After Scar Treatment

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SANDIA SKIN + FACE PROCEDURES?

Please click any of the links below to learn more about Sandia Skin + Face Procedures:

LATEST POSTS

SANDIA SKIN + FACE
ALBUQUERQUE, NM

CALL NOW
BOOK NOW

Proudly Serving Albuquerque, NM, and the Surrounding Communities

Albuquerque NM ● Clovis NM ● Espanola NM ● Gallup NM ● Hobbs NM ● Las Cruces NM ● Los Lunas NM ● Rio Rancho NM ● Roswell NM ● Santa Fe NM ● Socorro NM ● South Valley NM

Registered Nurse Practitioner Tonya Tuggle is Albuquerque’s choice for those who want to keep their youthful appearance and healthy glow. Tonya is passionate about educating patients on preventative skin care and providing non-surgical maintenance for graceful aging. We can’t wait to meet you!

REQUEST APPOINTMENT
Tonya Tuggle - Head Shot

Tonya C. Tuggle, FNP-C

Tonya C Tuggle specializes in non-surgical facial cosmetic procedures and is a Nurse Practitioner and Master Level Injector.

Tonya C. Tuggle
Eric Tuggle - Head Shot

Eric Tuggle, DDS

Dr. Eric Tuggle is a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and is Board Certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Eric Tuggle