My doctor recommends doing the scar removal surgery for the third time after 2 failed attempts, do I trust him? (Photo)

Question

Im a male, 19 years old, middle eastern from Iran. I had severe acne scarring when i was 16, i am 19 now, i get no new active acne, or when i do its very minor. Now theres significant scarring, including one big one on my cheek that was deep. My doctor did scar removal surgery but it ended up widening, than he attempted it again and it widened again after the stitches were removed after 2 weeks, it seemed like it got infected during the healing. He wants to try it again while im on minocycline.

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

I am truly sorry you are going through this, but I am hardly surprised. I have been cautioning my regular readers for many years already that surgical scar revisions, especially in areas subject to a great deal of movement or static tension run the risk for the subsequent development of stretch scars and tram track stitch marks. I'm truly sorry that you did not see my cautionary posts on going this route. You would be wise going forward to consult a cosmetic dermatologist scar specialist who is expert in performing subcision. A subcision can elevate and smooth scars without the risk for the development of stretch scars or stitch tracks, since it does not involve any deep cutting nor placement of any stitches. Once the scar is elevated and smoothed to its greatest extent, then professionally performed medical, manual microneedling (no need for the added expense and added risks of added RF) can be performed to improve residual surface texture and color irregularities. Both subcision and manual microneedling have a several decades' long proven track record of safety and efficacy in all skin types.. On the other hand, some venues may suggest to you the use of some "next big thing" enerrgy-based gizmo. The hard science to support the use of expensive "bells and whistles" fraxel lasers, as well as most of the other hyped energy-based devices,  lags woefully behind the heavy marketing, advertising and social media hype to promote them. In a recent article in The Skin Cancer Foundation journal entitled the "The Dangers of Doctor Google," the authors stated, " there's also plenty of questionable and inaccurate info floating around out there. Even facts can be presented in a misleading way."  The article went on to say "The unregulated nature of social media means users can be vulnerable to unsubstantiated claims--there are no editors fact-checking posted content."  In another recent article , in the Journal of Drugs In Dermatology, entitled "HashtagLaser Surgery: How Lasers are Portrayed on Instagram,"  the authors commented, "...social media posts are unstandardized and carry a high risk of misinformation." and further went on to say, "....laser safety considerations and laser-induced complications were only discussed in a minority of posts..."  Hope this helps and once again, so sorry for your current frustration and the time and money lost.up to now.  Best of luck of going forward..

My doctor recommends doing the scar removal surgery for the third time after 2 failed attempts, do I trust him? (Photo)

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My doctor recommends doing the scar removal surgery for the third time after 2 failed attempts, do I trust him? (Photo)

Answers (1)

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Everything you need to know about Scar Removal Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.