Can Fillers Be Used to Correct Surgical Scars?

Depressed surgical or traumatic scars on the face can cause considerable emotional distress. These scars are often exacerbated by early scar dehiscence caused by repetitive motion during the healing phase. Although these scars can be corrected with facial fillers, this is not a long term solution. A complete discussion of options should also focus on surgery as an option. Surgical excision is often appropriate to provide long term benefit to patients who are concerned about the temporary... more

Thanks for your question. Soft tissue fillers may used to correct scars that are depressed. By filling in the defect and improving the surface contour, the scar will appear improved. To determine if fillers are an option for you, I would see a board certified plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or facial plastic surgeon experienced in the treatment of scars.

If the scar is depressed, filler may be an option to fill in the contour. Of course, filler is not permanent but may be an alternative to surgical excision and reclosure. You could need to see a board certified plastic surgery for an assessment.

Yes, this may be one modality to correct scars. With a filler one injects the selected substance into the scar to reduce the indentation or, "valley". This can help decrease the noticeable appearance of the scar. There may be more than one modality that would work best for that particular individual. Always best to see your board certified plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or otolaryngologist to see what is right for you.

Hello, Fillers can be used, but the improvements will be temporary as most fillers (the safe ones) dissolve over time. For this reason fillers are not used frequently for scar improvement. Best Regards

Dermal fillers can absolutely be used for the treatment of scars. For an indented scar like you describe, it may also be advisable to visit a derm surgeon to review options such as subcision or a different plastic surgeon to talk about scar revision again. We are wondering why the scar revision left an indentation and are wondering if it could have been performed so as not to leave this indentation.

Fillers can help augment depressed scars so that they are no longer depressed.

Sookie, Yes, fillers are a great tool to help indented scars. Depending on the location and size of the scar, different fillers would be appropriate. David Shafer, MD New York City