What Can Be Done About a Hypertrophic, Bright Red Scar That I've Had for Years?

I had a mole on my neck removed when I was 16 and the result was a bright red, bulging hypertrophic scar. 2 years later I had the scar surgically revised so that it no longer bulges so much. I had multiple steroid injections into the scar and have used mederma religiously, yet the scar is still bright red after 6 years. Is there anything I can do about the discoloration other than using makeup on it constantly? Picture attached (with makeup on the scar)

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3 Doctor Answers | Asked by Barclay Chapel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Fixing a red, inflamed scar on the neck with laser - pulsed dye laser

I use a vascular pulsed dye laser for deep red scar tissue resulting from old mole removal procedures or skin biopsies.

Electrodessication or Laser Can Improve Redness

Injections of liquid Kenalog in the right dilution and right quantities can be very helpful in improving hypertrophic, scars, but often times the redness, which is related to blood vessels feeding the scar tissue cells, persists. Light electrodessication (burning of the vessels) or a vascular laser can improve the redness by destroying the small blood vessels (capillaries). It may require more than one treatment, but downtime should be minimal with both. more

Hypertrophic red scar from mole removal

Thank you for your question. Redness of the scar is probably triggered by proliferation of a network of capillaries and this was induced by steroid injections. These ,although useful in stopping growth of the scar tissue have got ther own unpleasant side effects: skin atrophy , neo-vascularisation, discoloration of skin. I would advise to stop using steroids, and if capillary net work is not regressing -have this lasered -Nlite dye laser is quite a good option. Use... more