Top facial plastic surgeon in Charlotte NC offers scar revision

Top facial plastic surgeon: types of scars and what can be done to reverse their appearance

Top facial plastic surgeon in Charlotte NC knows that scar tissue can be a very wonderful thing. Scar tissue is a sign that your body is healing and repairing an area that has been damaged, it can reconnect severed skin, repair damage, and more. However, the body, at times, can easily produce too much scar tissue, this makes it appear visible when the healing is finished. In their lifetime, there are many different types of scars that a person might develop since scar tissue can form for a variety of reasons.

What are scars?

After your skin has been cut or damaged a scar will form as a part of your body’s natural healing process. By filling in any gaps caused by the injury, the skin repairs itself by growing new tissue to pull the wound together. Collagen is the main protein that makes scar tissue.

Scars can come in many shapes and sizes. Some scars are barely visible, while some are large and painful. Keloid scars are more likely to develop on people with darker skin as well as people with red hair. Keloid scars are a form of raised scars that will grow and extend beyond the injured area. Your scar may look unsightly and may possibly make it difficult to move depending on their type, size, and location.

Some scars may fade away over time and will not require any treatment. Treatments can help if a scar is bothering you or causing pain.

What are the types of scars?

There are several types of scars, including:

Contracture: A contracture scar causes the skin to contract often after a burn. If the scarring gets into the muscles and nerves or happens over a joint it can make it difficult to move.

Depressed (anthropic): Often resulting after chickenpox or acne as sunken scars. They will look like indentations in the skin or rounded pits. They mostly happen on the face and are also called ice pick scars. Because the skin loses collagen and elasticity over time, acne scars may become more noticeable as you age.

Flat: This type of scar will flatten as it heals although at first it may be slightly raised. Flat scars are often red or pink. They may become slightly lighter or darker than the surrounding skin over time.

Raised (hypertrophic): When you run your finger over it, you can feel a hypertrophic scar. They never completely flatten out, however, these raised scars may get smaller over time and never grow or spread beyond the wounded area.

What treatment can be done?

There are many surgical options to treat deeper scars depending on your particular case. These include laser surgery, skin grafts, excision, and dermabrasion. During a skin graft, your surgeon will use skin from another area of your body.