About Scars...
A Scar is an undesired alteration of the skin’s surface and can be:
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A change in skin texture. Loss of the normal skin lines can give a smooth shiny appearance that is a hallmark of a surface scar.
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Skin color can change and can be lighter or darker than the normal skin (Hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation). The color can also be mottled or irregular.
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A scar can be elevated or depressed. These are more visible because of the shadows they make. Elevated scars can be hypertrophic scars or keloids. There are several categories of depressed scars including pitted scars (icepick scars), boxcar scars, hill and valley (rolling) scars, and bound-down scars.
At the Advanced Dermatology Center we have many treatments available to improve scars. We first analyze what kind of scar it is, in other words which change above is making that scar different from normal skin. Then we arrange to treat those differences.
Some of the methods of scar treatment we use:
- Dermal Fillers to raise the area to normal position
- Fractional CO2 laser
- Erbium laser
- Chemical Peels
- Microdermabrasion
- Intralesional steroids
- Cross technique for pitted scars with the precise applications of a specific kind of acid
- Topical treatments and applications
- Subcision – cutting the bands underneath the scar that are holding it in a depressed position
- Excision – cutting out the scar with or without suture closure
The following unretouched before and after photos show the dramatic results that can be experienced with scar treatment...
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Generally, we like to treat the scarred and damaged skin gently. Usually we do several treatments with a little time in between to get progressive improvement of the scars.
Keloids are lumpy raised scars that can be painful or tender. For information on keloids, please visit our Keloids page.
Call the Advanced Dermatology Center at 706.323.1000 for an appointment with Dr. Steinberg.
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