The Treatments for Scars

Over the course of a lifetime, cuts, scrapes, burns, trauma brought about by surgery, acne and other skin conditions can all scar previously smooth and seamless skin. Minor scars might be easy to ignore or conceal but some varieties can disfigure and are not so readily disguised. These can cause real emotional anguish and often even physical pain.

Scarring is a natural condition and the final part of the healing process after an injury. An enormous range of scars exist. Hypertrophic and Keloid scars are lumpy, bumpy and raised while Atrophic ones are sunken and depressed, as in the case of acne scars and stretch marks. Scars assume an array of colors from pink to red, brown and purple – this is known as hyperpigmentation. White scars are an example of hypopigmentation.

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Many factors determine a scar’s appearance and ultimate treatment plan. Degree of severity of the initial wound or cut and its location matter, as do age, heredity, sex and ethnicity. A surgical solution known as subcision is sometimes performed to level skin and combined with laser therapy; the results can be quite amazing. In the case of lesser scars, laser therapy alone can dramatically improve appearance.

Troublesome red scars often benefit from a course of Vbeam laser treatment. This laser light delivers an intense but gentle burst to targeted areas. It’s absorbed by blood vessels that once heated and coagulated; effectively shrink eliminating redness in acne scars, stretch marks, injury and surgical scars. As an alternate, Fractional CO2 lasers direct short pulsed light energy at irregular skin removing damage layer by layer.

SBC is pleased to provide Vbeam and CO2 laser therapies. Other available scar treatments include:

• Subcision and surgical scar revisions
• Dermabrasion which removes top layers of skin and essentially “sands down” acne scars, for example.
• Cortisone injections which soften thickened scars of the hypertrophic and keloid variety.
• Filler injections – use of products such as Restylane, Perlane and Juvéderm to plump up depressed scars.
• Topical creams of the prescription and non-prescription variety

Let the expert team at SBC determine which treatment or combination of treatments will work best on your particular scarring problem. Call our offices today and we’ll start you on a path towards smoother, even-toned skin.