I am a 44 year old woman and I have battled a terrible substance abuse disorder for years. It has left my legs with extremely bad scars not to mention collapsed veins. What’s the best option for me?
June 14, 2023
Answer: Scar Treatment Thank you for your question. I would need to examine you in-person to best answer your question. In 5 to 10 percent of people, scars become hypertrophied because of an overproduction of scar tissue, and in some cases a keloid develops, causing a scar to appear dark, thickened, and raised. It used to be that to get rid of a scar, doctors had to excise it surgically and resuture the wound in such a way as to minimize its appearance. But that really meant just replacing one blemish with another one potentially just as noticed. Fortunately, today we have several ways to improve a scar's appearance. Some techniques are most effective when a scar is still fresh, such as pigment blocking creams to even out color, silicone gel to improve texture, and massage to break down the tissue. But we also have several options after a scar has fully formed. Steroids injected directly into the healed wound can help to shrink the tissue and microdermabrasion and lasers can improve the appearance of the scar. I recommend you meet with a board-certified plastic surgeon to explore your options in more detail.
Helpful
June 14, 2023
Answer: Scar Treatment Thank you for your question. I would need to examine you in-person to best answer your question. In 5 to 10 percent of people, scars become hypertrophied because of an overproduction of scar tissue, and in some cases a keloid develops, causing a scar to appear dark, thickened, and raised. It used to be that to get rid of a scar, doctors had to excise it surgically and resuture the wound in such a way as to minimize its appearance. But that really meant just replacing one blemish with another one potentially just as noticed. Fortunately, today we have several ways to improve a scar's appearance. Some techniques are most effective when a scar is still fresh, such as pigment blocking creams to even out color, silicone gel to improve texture, and massage to break down the tissue. But we also have several options after a scar has fully formed. Steroids injected directly into the healed wound can help to shrink the tissue and microdermabrasion and lasers can improve the appearance of the scar. I recommend you meet with a board-certified plastic surgeon to explore your options in more detail.
Helpful
