Can a 12 Yr Old Cigarette Burn Be Removed?

asked 11 months ago by =) in Newark, NJ
Latest answer by Vivek Bansal, MD
Question viewed 444 times
Tags: age 17 or under, nose, nostrils, burn scar, cigarette, moles

When I was about 4 I got burned with a cigarette on my left nostril, according to my mother I kept picking at the scab and now it's black. I'm really self concious about it and even more so now that I'm a sophomore(16) soon to be junior in highschool.I'm scared I won't be able to have a "normal" life and that I'll continue to isolate myself from people with the exception of the small group of people that are around often enough that I'm comfortable with.

5 answers to Can a 12 Yr Old Cigarette Burn Be Removed?

Scar Removal

Have a consult with a Board Certified Dermatologist and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and look at your alternatives from a skin graft to bleach cream. Thank you for your question and good luck with everything.

Vivek Bansal, MD
Danville Plastic Surgeon

Do not use lasers for moles

While I agree with some of the posts to your question, I would like to strongly caution against the use of lasers for moles. This is not an accepted treatment, although it may work, it has the potential to cover up a worse lesion, such as melanoma or basal cell carcinoma. There have been published, scientifically sound studies demonstrating the ability to remove pigment with lasers and perhaps the moles themselves, however, I would strongly suggest that this is not something you... more

Daniel I. Wasserman, MD
Naples Dermatologic Surgeon

Options for old, dark scar

As Dr. Tholen mentioned, this area would appear to be a nevi (birthmark) rather than a traumatic scar from a cigarette burn. It may be that the burn occurred within the same time frame which led to this assumption. We would agree that using a group of lasers called Q switched YAG would be a good starting point regardless if this is a result of a burn or if this is a nevi. We believe that utilizing the most cost-effective and least invasive approach is in the patient's... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Dark spot on nose does not look like a burn scar.

I understand your concern about visibility of this pigmented area. Although this looks more like a congenital pigmented nevus (mole) than a burn scar (even one that was "picked'), the problem is how to remove this with the least scarring or residual damage to your nose. If this lesion was in almost any other area, simply excising it can carefully suturing the tissue layer together would be all that is necessary for a minimally-visible scar. But in this location on the nose, whether... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

Nasal Scar Revision

Dear =) in Newark, NJ: More information on scar revision is provided on the link below (click "more"). It is possible to remove the area of scar, but the hole left behind would need to be filled. The most common ways this is reconstructed is with either a local flap (borrowing nearby skin) or a skin graft (borrowed from somewhere else). A local flap has the advantage of the best possible contour and color match with the skin on the nose. A skin graft may be a slightly... more

Joseph Mele, MD
Walnut Creek Plastic Surgeon

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