Any Way to Improve Scarring Caused by a Lifestyle Lift?

The posts below were excellent. Just a few additional comments. If your mother's scarring is due to bad scarring but the incisions were placed properly under the right amount of tension, conservative treatment with steroid injections, silicone gels or sheeting and tincture of time may help. If the poor scarring is a result of excessive tension or distortion of ear architecture, pulling forward of the earlobe or tragus (bump in front of the ear), or mismatch of the hairline, these... more

Hello Stephy, Very good advice given here so far. I would also like to add some additional advice. It would be very helpful to exam your mother to determine what the best treatment would be. Here are some options: 1. Kenalog/Steroid Injections: if the scars are raised or "ropey" appearing these injections can help reduce their size and discomfort. Time may be a factor since her scars are already two years old. 2.IPL Laser : this form of laser can be very effective in reducing the redness... more

I am sorry to hear about your mother's situation. This is happening far too frequently. The problem is two fold and you have identified one. Not only was too much skin taken but no deep structural support was provided to prevent the scar from widening. Skin can not be used as a support structure it is a veneer. Wide scars will always form when there is tension on the skin. There is hope for resolution here depending on where the skin was removed and in what direction it was pulled. This is... more

I agree with Dr. Rand that this is a very difficult problem and will likely require a revision procedure to address the issue. I would highly recommend to your mother to seek out a Board- Certified Plastic Surgeon to handle her care, and there are multiple outstanding surgeons in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It certainly would not hurt to have them see her now just to get a better sense as to what her options are, but the key here is that her problem cannot be handled by just anyone... more

When too much skin is removed and needs to be pulled tight to close the incisions, the scars will be thicker and worse. Possibly, they can be injected with steroids or treated with IPL to soften them but the only way to revise them surgically is to wait a few years until there is enough laxity in the skin to have a properly done real facelift by a better doctor and remove the scars and close them under less tension.

There are several factors that can cause scarring in a facelift. One of the most common and most avoidable is removing too much skin and the closing the skin under too much tension. This tension can create very wide scars and, if around the ear lobe can create a "pixie" ear appearance. Other factors include post-operative infection, post-operative hematoma, smoking, and genetics. Scar improvement options include steroid injection, laser resurfacing, and revision surgery.... more

If the scars are now 2 years old, perhaps she can have them revised. Poor scarring can be the result of many things including genetics, infection, too much tension on the wound closure, technical issues like poorly placed sutures, etc.. She should probably go to a board certified plastic surgeon.