Will steroid injections help reduce scar tissue from previous plastic surgery?

Steroid injections are commonly used in facial plastic surgery, primarily to help soften scars. Steroid injections may be performed at the time of surgery for those patients who have predisposition to scars, or anytime afterward during the healing process. Steroids, however, may have unwanted side effects. Steroid injections in the cheeks may possibly be an option to reduce scarring after cheek implants. Generally, time and facial massage is probably a preferred option after cheek implant removal. However, you'll need to visit a plastic surgeon to help determine appropriate options for you.Best,Dr. Chaboki

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Steroid injections can help to soften a scar. It is best to do the injections as the scar is healing, so 2 years out may not help significantly. There is a laser, the 1540nm non-ablative fractionated resurfacing laser, which can improve the appearance of scars even after 2 years. You would need at least 3 treatments spaced about a month apart, and the scar should both soften and decrease in size.

For areas that are too firm or hard from scar tissue, or too lumpy (e.g. hypertrophic scars or keloid scars), injecting cortisone by an experienced and highly trained physician such as a dermatologist or plastic surgeon is a good option. Best to have your scar tissue examined in person to make the best judgement.

I would be very cautious here with the use of steroids. I would probably prefer gentle massage and time as the answer. Even very dilute kenalog injections in the malar area has the potential to cause visible changes in the skin and can be hard to control. It can take up to two years for all the swelling and fullness to abate from where the implants were removed. It is easy to do something but harder to go back and reverse any unwanted results. I place all my cheek implants with incisions from under the lip and there is rarely any scar problems either with insertion of possible removal.