What is a Scar?
Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. A scar is not bad when it is located in an area which can be concealed, but when the scar is in an area which can not be concealed, a way has to be found out to conceal, improve the appearance or decrease the scar.

What are the different types of scars?
Discoloration, surface irregularities
➞ These are subtle scars can be cosmetically improved by surgery or other treatments recommended by your plastic surgeon. These types of scars do not impair function or cause physical discomfort and include acne scars as well as scars resulting from minor injury and prior surgical incisions.

Hypertropic scars
➞ These are thick clusters of scar tissue that develop directly at a wound site. They are often raised, red and/or uncomfortable, and they may become wider over time. They can be hyperpigmented (darker in color) or hypopigmented (lighter in color).

Keloids
➞ These are larger than hypertropic scars. They can be painful or itchy, and may also pucker. They extend beyond the edges of an original wound or incision. Keloids can occur anywhere on your body, but they develop more commonly where there is little underlying fatty tissue, such as on the face, neck, ears, chest or shoulders.

Contractures
➞ Are scars that restrict movement due to skin and underlying tissue that pull together during healing. They can occur when there is a large amount of tissue loss, such as after a burn. Contractures also can form where a wound crosses a joint, restricting movement of the fingers, elbows, knees or neck.
The type of scar you have will determine the appropriate techniques your plastic surgeon will use to improve your scar.

Scar Removal Procedures
The removal of scar can be done by various methods, the aim of all of them would be to decrease the visibility of the scar by either decreasing the size of the scar or lightening the pigmentation of the scar.

The options available are :

1. Surgical scar reduction : A small procedure done under local anaesthesia. Generally there is 70 to 80 percent improvement by this treatment.

2. Laser Scar Reduction : Fractional CO2 Laser is generally used. In this treatment multiple sittings may be required. This can be combined with surgical scar reduction in some cases to give best result.

3. Other options like subcision, fat grafting, fillers and dermabrasion are useful in some selected cases.

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