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Question:

Is it possible to get rid of keloid scars? How do you prevent them from occurring again?

Answer:

Keloid scars are not easily managed and there are literally hundreds of scientific studies and articles dedicated exclusively to the treatment of keloids. The fact that there are several options available to treat keloids is testimony to the fact that no one treatment is better than any other. I have found, however, that pre treating the keloid scar with intralesional steroid injections on two separate occasions starting 2 months prior to keloid removal, followed by postoperative steroid injections has been quite helpful in preventing the recurrence of keloids.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

What exactly is scar revision? Is it a painful process?

Answer:

A scar revision procedure usually does not require a general anesthesia, however if you have a significant fear of surgery, a mild IV sedative can be used during your scar revision surgery in combination with a local anesthesia to make the entire procedure pain free and anxiety free.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I have keloid scars from my facelift three years ago. Can they be fixed?

Answer:

Keloid scars from a facelift are a difficult yet, treatable problem. My suspicion is that the tension on the facelift flap was too great at the incision sites resulting in keloid formation. After three years your surgeon can excise the keloids and elevate the facial skin to create a flap of skin that can be closed without tension to at the incision sites. Close observation post operatively will allow your surgeon to know when and if steroid injections to the facelift incisions will be necessary to prevent reformation of the keloids.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I have had my hoop earrings pulled out of my ears on two separate occasions. Now the earlobes are scarred and ugly. Can otoplasty repair this scar tissue?

Answer:

Otoplasty is a procedure that is used to repair the appearance of the ear itself. Repair of the earlobe is not really considered otoplasty but, simply, ear lobe repair. The most common indication for ear lobe repair is because of a split ear lobe which resulted from trauma sustained by earrings being forcefully removed from the ear lobe. The split ear lobe and all of the scar tissue can be repaired so that both earlobes look normal.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

My face looks funny when I have a beard because I have a large scar that won’t allow the hair to grow in one spot. Will hair grow over my scar after I get a scar revision procedure?

Answer:

The injury to your face which led to your facial scar must have taken an area of hair bearing skin that healed with scar tissue that cannot grow hair. If this strip of scar tissue is surgically removed from your face, and the skin of your face (where there are normal beard hair follicles) is repaired, then your beard should grow in normally.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I was in a serious car accident last year and I now have a facial scar that always reminds me of the accident. I am interested in scar revision. How do you do this and how soon will I see results?

Answer:

I can certainly not blame you for wanting a painful memory erased especially when you are reminded of your injury on a daily basis. Scar revision can be performed as early as six months following your facial injury. I prefer to wait about a year prior to undertaking scar revision. The entire scar revision process can take several months to a year to complete. Depending upon the complexity of the scar and the location of the scar a series of surgical procedures may need to be performed and once surgery has been completed, a chemical peel or laser skin resurfacing procedure may also need to be completed to really improve the appearance of the scar.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question:

I had an auto accident that left me with a very large, noticeable scar on my forehead. Do you use tissue expander to correct this? How long is the process?

Answer:

I have not had to use tissue expanders on forehead lacerations in some time. If there is a large and unsightly scar of the forehead that is not in a linear pattern, then the tissue may need to be removed and in order to close the would it is possible that tissue expansion would be necessary prior to removing the scar tissue. I would really have to see the extent of the scarring before I could tell you if tissue expansion would be necessary. If I do have to perform tissue expansion, the process would last about 8 weeks, depending upon the size of the scar.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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Question: I have recently had an accident (2 months ago) and have a very nasty scar on my face. Should I come in for a consultation about this now or should I wait for it to heal more?

Answer: If the scar on your face is truly unsightly, then it is likely you will need to have significant scar revision.  I do not think that waiting to fix a nasty scar that has no chance of healing appropriately is necessary.   If I felt that this was in fact the case, and scar revision is inevitable, then I would proceed with scar revision sooner than later.

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