Scar Revision [Archive] - ConstantChatter

KGif

08-18-2006, 09:15 AM

I noticed that the Scar Prevention thread got some good advice so I thought I'd throw this question out there ....

Has anyone ever had luck in reducing the appearance of an old scar? We're talking about 19 years old here. (and as a side note I just had do do the math on that as I got the injury causing the scar at age 13 and cannot believe it's been 19 f*ing years since I was 13. Good gracious!).

Anyway -- it's on the bridge of my nose. I got it from falling down the stairs and hitting my head at the bottom. I was at a friends house sleeping over and I most likely needed a couple stitches but I was scared to death to go to the hospital, so I simply threw on a bandaid once the bleeding subsided and went on my way. Stupid - I know. It's not hideous and honestly I'm sure a lot of people don't notice it but I do. Would it be pointless to try to apply any oils, creams, etc. at this point?

And what about plastic surgery for scar revision? Has anyone had any experience with that? Any feedback is much appreciated.

THANKS ladies!

SingleWhiteFemale

08-18-2006, 08:32 PM

I've had a scar revision done--twice :)

The area revised was done to correct a groestque scar and remove a pocket of fat. Because it was so long (pretty much slicing straight across my entire low back, I'm a tiny girl and it was about 8 inches long) and the location (pulling on it when going from laying to sitting), it hurt like a freaking b*tch for the first few days. After that, I was very sore. Because I had jumped back into life full-on too quickly (pulling and stressing the incision site) and that I am prone to kelodic scarring, the scar was never really invisible, nor would it ever be. But considering I had the nastiest, horrifying scar prior, I was very happy with the results.

I took a tumble down the driveway a couple years after, put a heating pad on my back, fell asleep... and woke up with a 3rd degree burn right below this back scar (yes, I burned my butt!). The burn did heal, and left a huge (about 2 inches in diameter) raised and red scar that hurt like heck when touched. Scars take about a year to really fully heal/lose color/flatten out, and mine never did. So, I went off again to another plastic surgeon who also did a derm/burn residency and specializes as such. Because of the location of the burn to my long back scar--that I was maybe 80% happy with--he decided it would be a good idea to remove the burn, the small amount of skin between it and the old scar, and just make it one scar when I rolled out of the ER. In a nutshell, make it look like I never had a burn at all, just the original scar. Due to the complexity of the surgery, it was about 4 hours long. And of course, there was pain. I'm a year out, and while the scar isn't completely faded, it looks freaking amazing! Probably another 6 months, but as I can still see progress, I'm willing to wait a little longer before passing final judgement ;) I've been the type that is slower to heal, and considering the area it is located in, I just need to grow a little patience (it took almost 2 years for the scar on my feet to fade as I have poor circulation in my lower legs). I saw him for a consult, scheduled surgery for about a month later, and only saw him again in the OR that morning. But given how straight-forward everything was, that he had diagrams and pictures, I wasn't worried about it. Plus, his reputation preceeds him, so he wasn't some random quack. I do need to go back for a follow-up (he's interested in seeing the final product, and he even stated it is purely for his benefit/not medically neccessary to see him again... but if he can learn from his work or be enthused by how well he did, I'm all for it) sometime within the next few months.

I'm not sure of cost... but insurance covered mine due to the fact it was caused by a congenital birth defect. Probably $30-40k between the 2 surgeries. Considering the amount of time and that yours is probably much, much smaller (I know one bill I saw did charge based on how large the area was), I would guess it wouldn't be nowhere near as expensive nor time consuming.

I see you're in northern VA, if you PM me I'd be more than happy to give you the name of my surgeon. At bare minimum, if you're unhappy with the scar you currently have, a consultation will be very helpful to let you know if anythign can be done, and what expectations to have.

Good luck!

ETA: None of my plastic surgeons or doctors stand behind vitamin E, Mederma, or any other OTC product that is touted for scars. I have an insane number of scars on my body, and all have faded and flattened in due time. Vitamin E didn't help one bit, nor did cocoa butter no matter how much I massaged the area or long the duration. It is probably a mind over matter thing. The only thing that has been recommended to me as something that would have any effect on a fresh scar/burn is silicone gel sheeting. Not the stuff that is sold at CVS (Spenco makes it, Curad makes scar pads with it, as does another company), but medical-grade quality. It is a little expensive, but reusable. No prescription is needed, but it can be found at many durible medical goods suppliers.

Although comparing the 2 revision surgeries I've had, I've learned to not rub/pull of steri-strips put over the incision by the doctor! The longer those things stay on, the scar is thinner. Parts of the one on my back is pencil-thin, and it is no where near as kelodic as my last surgery! I had it on for over 3 weeks even though the scar itched like heck and I wanted to pull it off. Even bathing on a daily basis after the first week, being gentle with the area (sweepign over the area with a shower puff and a little soap) and just letting the shower spray flow over the area will have it stick for a very long time and I've found, aid in minimizing scarring.