Question:
I’m 42, male, and I have a very light scar on my nose from when I fell down as a child. It’s always bothered me, even though people tell me they barely notice it. I’d like to get it fixed, but I don’t think it’s worth it if there will be a really invasive surgery. Do all scars require the same kind of surgery to fix, regardless of depth or prominence?
Answer:
All scars are not treated in the same fashion. Scars are managed based on their depth, size, and most importantly, their location. A scar of the nose is going to be treated much differently than a scar of the face because of the quality of the skin in the two areas and the location of the scar. I would exercise extreme caution if you are trying to alleviate a thin scar on the nose. Conservative management with laser resurfacing or chemical peeling might be the best approach to lighten the scar rather than trying to surgically improve what sounds like a fairly benign lesion on your nose.
Acne scar repair can be a challenging undertaking. The quality, size, and depth of the acne scar will largely dictate the type or types of corrective scar repair procedures employed in order to improve the appearance of the scars. One such treatment is the use of laser energy to resurface the skin to stimulate new collagen and help improve the appearance of flatter acne scars. The side effect of the use of these skin resurfacing lasers is that they can help improve the appearance and decrease the activity of rosacea.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld