Are these suture scars/crosshatches permanent? (photo)

Question

I had two moles excised from my face 13 days ago. One was on my cheek the other next to my nose. The plastic surgeon scheduled suture removal for 10 days after the procedure, which I felt was a bit long. I keep reading that sutures should be taken out in 3-7 days max from the face. On my cheek now that the sutures are out I can see some cross-hatches really clearly. Are they permanent? Or is my scar healing normally? The mole was a bit smaller than a pencil eraser and slightly raised.

Sam Naficy, MD, FACS · Answer

I would recommend that you wait until the area heals completely before doing any kind of revision.  For the pigment, IPL may be an option for you.  Typically we remove facial sutures 5-7 days out.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

At this point, barring any clinical data to the contrary, I would recommend pulsed dye laser for the redness and Melarase for any discoloration prevention.

Samir Shureih, MD · Answer

In designing a scar revision, the scar should be in the same direction of the lines of the face. Sutures should never stay more than 5 days.Or you will have the cross hatches. Your cross hatches will fade but you may still see a hint of them

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

The redness from your scar will fade (keep sunscreen on it!) and it will help hide the tracks showing, but you will still have them. You can also find an office to do some light laser treatment to that area to reduce the redness. I do this a lot post procedure to help blend redness from removals of all types. For sutures, 10 days in the face, in my opinion, is too long.

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