Scar Removal Q&A
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Why is It That a Scar Can Not Be Completely Removed?
asked 2 years ago by cosmetic in United Kingdom
Latest answer by Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Question viewed 383 times
Tags: scar
2 answers to Why is It That a Scar Can Not Be Completely Removed?
+3
Scar is Not Normal Skin
This is a great question.
A scar, by definition, is not normal skin. A scar occurs when skin cells make excess collagen and other skin proteins in response to injury or trauma. Essentially, normal skin is replaced by these newly produced skin proteins, forming a visible scar.
Once the scar forms, there is really no way to remove it without causing some sort of new injury or trauma to the skin, which can then lead to another scar.
It becomes a vicious circle. The goal is to try to do...
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Ilya Reyter, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologist
Beverly Hills Dermatologist
+1
This is actually a common misunderstanding among patients
It is important to realize that scar "revision" is not scar "removal." Once the skin has been damaged and a scar forms, removing the scar involves a new injury to the skin resulting in a new, hopefully less conspicuous scar.
This misunderstanding is so pervasive that I have even heard children's parents ask the question after a scar revision, "Now that we have had the scar revision, when are we going to do the plastic surgery and get rid of the scar...
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