Dermabrasion 6 Months After Nasal Flap Repair - Too Late?

asked 1 year ago by schmeyer in us
Latest answer by Andrew Kaufman, MD
Question viewed 1,063 times
Tags: nose, repair, scar, timing

I had Mohs surgery to remove BCC 8 weeks ago, on the nasal ala. It was repaired with a rhomboid flap which is still elevated by the crease. Will this improve over time? Or would dermabrasion improve this, and can it be effective if done 6 months from the original mohs surgery date?

5 answers to Dermabrasion 6 Months After Nasal Flap Repair - Too Late?

Dermabrasion Too Late at 8 Weeks

No, eight weeks is not too late. Generally, you want to dermabrade a wound that is young and still actively producing and modifying collagen, but not too young that the trauma of dermabrasion causes problems to the incision line. So most studies suggest the optimal time would be around 8-12 weeks after surgery. But the question is whether you need dermabrasion. Dermabrasion works best for softening the transition from scar to the surrounding skin. It's hard to tell from the photograph,... more

Andrew Kaufman, MD
Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon

www.dermatology-center.com

Wounds need time to heal

After surgery, it is important to give a wound time to heal before you consider alternatives to improve it. You may want to wait 6-9 months before a Dermabrasion to see how the wound settles. Remember that after the surgery there is a certain degree of swelling and inflammation - and as wound heal they often contract. In addition, you may want to ask your doctor about cortisone injections to help soften the puffy area as this may be a potential treatment for a puffy flap. more

Jeffrey Ellis, MD
Long Island Dermatologic Surgeon

Unsightly scar after Mohs surgery

There are many alternatives to correct an unsightly scar resulting after Mohs surgery. Treatment options include dermabrasion, steroid injection, and surgical scar revision. Keep in mind that any attempt to correct an unsightly scar carries a risk of making said scar worse.

Steven Hacker, MD
West Palm Beach Dermatologic Surgeon

www.palmbeachdermasurgery.com

Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion 6 months after repair is not too late!!! The flap will improve with time, but dermabrasion may help improve more quickly. You may also want to ask your surgeon about steroid injections. Sometimes, however, neither dermabrasion nor steroids will help the swollen area and the only thing that will help is flap contouring, which will require an incision to "debulk" the flap.

P. Daniel Ward, MD
Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon

Dermabrasion for a flap after Mohs surgery on the nose

No it's not too late to do a dermabrasion IF it's warranted. It appears from this frontal view that the flap is only slighlty elevated and your surgeon did a very good job, but of course we can't examine you. If there is a slight elevation, which does increase because of "pincushioning" or if the flap stays the same, dermabrasion may not be indicated as it would thin out the good skin of the flap when in reality you wouldn't want the surface changed but... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

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