Dent in daughter's forehead. Will the scar improve? It's 20 months old, and she had stitches (Photo)

Our treatments use combination therapy to improve the epidermis and dermis for most deep scars. The options available for acne scars depend on the character of your scars, in terms of topography and contour. We see atrophic and hypertrophic acne scars, as well as scars that have hypo and hyperpigmentation. We begin each scar evaluation with an assessment of scar quality and subtype. Our main concern is rebuilding collagen and that is why we use a HIDEF protocol that includes combination therapy. Morpheus 8, scar subcision, fibrous release, fractional laser, CO2 laser, Thulium laser, PDL Vbeam laser, and fractional resurfacing can be used in addition to TCA Cross and chemical peels to further improve skin. Patients should start Melarase AM and Melarase PM for active hyperpigmentation. Always begin with a consultation to decide whether early subcision should be started.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

After 20 months, the scar will no longer improve.  Topical treatments will not be helpful.  The only options are surgical scar revision or a combination of non-invasive treatments including laser resurfacing, fillers, and subcision.  With a formal evaluation I could give a better answer as to what I would do personally.  The younger this scar is treated, the better the end result.  People used to say to wait until a child was older till any surgery was performed for scars or larger moles, but the cometic outcomes are better if addressed at younger ages.  Seek a cosmetic dermatologist or plastic surgeon who treats scars daily like we do, or someone who has experience in using lasers or fillers for scar treatments.  I wish you the best of luck, Dr. Emer.

If this scar is 20 months old, I actually wouldn't expect it to improve on its own. Typically scars will mature and look better with no intervention for the first 12 months. At this point, the two most frequently employed options are scar revision or filler treatment. Both would aim to lift the depressed scar tissue. This would improve the shadow that is created by the depression that draws your eye to the scar. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

The physical appearance of the scar will improve with time.  this means it should fade.  the dent will not improve with time and will require a fill of some sort to improve the contour.