Scars

Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the process of wound repair in the skin, thus scarring is a natural part of healing. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound heals with some degree of scar. Scars in the skin do not heal with equal strength or resilience of prior healthy tissue.

Skin scars occur when the deep, thick layer of skin is damaged. The worse the damage is, the worse the scar will be. All scars are not considered equal and they change significantly in size, texture and color with time. The older one gets, the easier it will be to scar after injury. Other factors such as smoking, drinking and sun exposure are going to affect the severity of scarring as well.

Because of the wide variability of scar types there is no best treatment for them. Unfortunately, there is also no treatment that can truly erase any scar. Dr Frank has several treatments available for any scar ranging from surgical scars, traumatic scars, acne scars, keloid or hypertrophic scars, and atrophic scars.

Silicone Microdroplets are often an excellent treatment for depressed scars. Fraxel Restore and Fraxel Repair are good for ice pick, textural or generalized scarring. Dr Frank uses VBeam Laser for red raised, or keloid scarring, as well. Please review our links to find out about our various options for treatment. A consult with Dr Frank will help determine which treatment or combination thereof is best for you.

Before & After

Scars Before and After photo by Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank of PFRANKMD in New York City, NY

FAQs

I have a scar from a facelift. Are there treatments for this?

Facelift scars? Absolutely. You’re investing so much time and money into your facial surgery you should absolutely have a laser surgeon look at your scars starting at about 4 weeks after. There are many treatments available.

Will V Beam help a C-section scar?

The most frequent surgical scars I treat are probably those from C-sections and tummy tucks. The scars can be V Beamed at 2-4 weeks. We sometimes utilize Pico lasers, which can be used while breastfeeding.

Does the V Beam treat all kinds of scars?

Although the V Beam is the most commonly used, it should only be used for red and raised scars. Typically, it is a first-line therapy for early intervention.

What is the hardest type of scar to remove?

The older the scar, the harder it is to remove. It is very difficult to treat old deep box scars and deep textural scars with pits. We can make an improvement by using specific PFRANKMD protocols.

For a thick burn scar what’s the best laser treatment?

A thick burn scar is definitely going to take a combination of treatment. If it’s thick, you’re definitely going to need some cortizon or kenalog treatments that you could use in conjunction with V Beam and things like that. Once it gets flat you can do other types of resurfacing but you definitely want to get on that.

Can you fix a thin white flat scar to make it a pigmented skin color?

Yes, you can fix a thin white scar but you know what? Unless I really think I can make at least a 50-60% improvement with technologies, in a situation like that I would go straight to cosmetic tattooing which we do in my office. It really works well.

How many scar treatments does it take to see results?

How many treatments always depends on the type of scar and what’s being used. I’ve never seen a scar that was really one and done.

What kind of scars can be treated?

Every type of scar can be treated. It’s rare that I can’t find a solution or protocol to make improvements.

How long before I can return to normal activity after the scar removal treatment?

There should be no downtime that interferes with daily activities. The majority of people could exercise, go about their daily lives, and wear makeup during scar removal treatment.

How long should I wait before considering surgical scar removal?

You should avoid surgical revision unless the healing process went horribly wrong and you know the scar will be smaller than it was before. A skilled surgeon and laser surgeon should talk about that.

What is the healing process for a scar treatment?

The healing process varies significantly based on the treatment used to treat the scar.

Does scar treatment take too much time to heal completely?

It always is several treatments and there is always no pain no gain. You’re really not going to get much results from treatments that don’t have a little bit of downtime or numerous treatments. The ultimate result depends on the quality of the scar.

Which scar creams should I use?

Scar creams don’t do anything. Be supportive, topical antibiotics, and moisture until it’s healed over but for scars, nothing is going to work. Forget about Vitamin E, a lot of people are allergic to Vitamin E and it can worsen it. You can massage scars, silicone sheets are inclusive if a scar is raised, it can be helpful, a mild massage if it’s a flat old scar silicone gel sheeting is a total waste of time.

PRP for scars?

You know how I feel about PRP, works great for hair, can be very helpful in wound healing but we’re talking about scars. Once the skin is healed and opposed, I’ve not found that much improvement from injecting PRP.

Botox for scars?

Injecting Botox in and around scars can be helpful. Particularly on areas where there is muscle activity.

Should I be concerned, if I have a scar that’s itching and burning?

You have to be concerned because that shows it is in its keloidal formation and will grow. You must treat these scars because they are in the growth phase.

Ablative vs. Non-ablative for Scars?

Ablative are laser treatments that require more downtime and used for surgical scars. When there’s irregularity we want to do something significant for a scar, and ablative resurfacing can be performed. Non-ablative treatments requires less down time and is makeup. Multiple treatments are needed and can have equal to or more efficacy.

Silikon injections for scars?

If you have an indented scar from acne or trauma, we can use fillers.

What are great fillers for scars?

For really deep scars fat transfer works great, but also one of my areas of expertise is injectable medical grade FDA approved microdroplet silicone oil. Silikon 1000 can be used in conjunction with lasers for indented acne scars.