Would dermabrasion be helpful for my lip lift scar? (photos)

Question

Hello, I had a lip lift October 2020 and was left with a visible scar under my nostrils. Would dermabrasion help to get rid of the scar or could it make it worse? I did have a consultation for a lip lift scar revision and was told that I am not a candidate for that procedure. Dermabrasion was recommended. I have not been able to find before and after photos for this particular area and am hesitant because of the unknown outcome. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Manual dermasanding--a form of dermabrasions-- is not an unreasonable procedure for this kind of issue, and has been used for many decades for improving all kinds of scars, including post-surgical scars, as in this case. Downtime and the possibility of scarring can be an issue with dermabrasion.  I have personally found professionally performed microneedling to be a safer and effectrive method for dealing with these kinds of issues and has the additional advantage of little to no significant downtime or risk of additional scarring. Make sure to consult a board certified cosmetic dermatologist and best of luck.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented  scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve  the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture.  Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.
 
Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Would dermabrasion be helpful for my lip lift scar? (photos)

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Would dermabrasion be helpful for my lip lift scar? (photos)

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