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Treating Dent Scar from Injection on a 2 Year Old?

asked 2 years ago by concerned parent in Minnesota
Latest answer by Bryan K. Chen, MD
Question viewed 1,085 times
Tags: age 17 or under, dents, scar, steroid

My 2 year old son recently had to have a steroid injection. Several weeks later, we noticed a large indent at the injection site. Upon doing several Internet searches and seeing a specialist, we were told that it was due to the injection. Is this something that will go away?

Our son actually refers to it as "his hole". We do not want him to be self conscious about it. Is there any long term effects? We were told that it is permanent. Is there any treatment or procedure that would eliminate the indent? If so, what would be first steps in looking into. Thanks

4 answers to Treating Dent Scar from Injection on a 2 Year Old?

+1

Depression from corticosteroid injection

I would simply observe the site for 6-8 weeks. Most cases of corticosteroid-associated atrophy will resolve spontaneously with time. If the fat does not recover, as others have mentioned, you do have options. I probably would not consider these options until the child is mature enough to participate in the decision-making process. Good luck.
Bryan K. Chen, MD

San Diego Dermatologist
+1

Many Options Available

As the other physicians have noted, it is likely that this will resolve over time. There are a couple of options though, some which can be undertaken even at this point. There are several case reports that injecting salt water under the skin on a daily basis for a couple of weeks can speed the recovery. Unfortunately, this may be too traumatic for a two year old to deal with. As the other physicians have noted as well, if this does not resolve within several months, fat grafting or excision... more
D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Wait for one more year before corrective surgery on 2-year-old

Steroids can induce fat atrophy when injected into the superficial tissues. However, the good news is his age. A 2-year-old should heal and build enough tissue to offset the deformity. I would wait for at least one year before I would attempt any corrective surgery. Fat grafting is usually the best treatment for this condition. Hope that helps!
Hisham Seify, MD, PhD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Steroid Lipoatrophy

What happened here is that the steroid injection was not given deep enough into the muscle and instead entered the fat. Steroids can cause lipoatrophy and this accounts for the dent...the fat cells have been destroyed. The good news is that the surrounding fat cells will divide and take the place of the damaged ones. Oftentimes this can take many months, sometimes as many as six months. It is felt that messaging the area periodically might help hasten this process. Since it does more
Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD

Virginia Beach Dermatologist

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