Scar improvement treatment has come a long way in plastic surgery. Today, plastic surgeons have many tools at their disposal to reduce and treat scars from practically every part of the body through special scar removal techniques.

What is a scar?
A scar is an overgrowth of fibrous tissue and blood vessels that form as a result of injury, a cut or a burn. There are many types. Keloids are very thick clusters of scar tissue that appear as red or purple lesions, often growing outside of the injury, cut or incision. They can be very difficult to treat and have a tendency to reappear even after scar removal treatment.

Hypertrophic scars are similar to keloids and tend to be thick, red, and raised, but remain within the boundaries of the original incision or wound. They can often be improved with scar removal methods such as a simple application of special creams, or injections.

Because of its location, a facial scar is frequently considered a cosmetic problem, whether or not it is hypertrophic. There are several scar removal techniques to make a facial scar less noticeable. Often it is simply to cut out the scar and close it with tiny stitches, leaving a thinner, less noticeable scar. Laser scar removal procedures may also be used as well as creams.

Burns also cause scars and can result in a loss of a large area of skin. The resulting scar contracts, causing the edges of skin to be pulled together, affecting adjacent muscles and tendons and restricting normal movement. These are usually treated with scar removal surgery using a skin flap, or graph and tissue expansion.

Treatment
Surgery: Sometimes surgery may be required to improve the scar. In this case, the surgeon will remove excess scar tissue, and reposition the incision so that it heals in a less visible pattern. This scar removal surgery is usually done under local or general anesthesia in the doctor's office.

Creams/Massages: Treatment using special creams are applied directly to the scar. The cream softens the scar tissue and promotes healing by working on the collagen fibers and realigning them. Massage may also be recommended, especially after breast surgery. This also helps to break up the scar tissue.

Laser: Scars, especially old scars, may be treated with PhotoDerm, a non-invasive, laser-like device that emits an intense flash of light that works directly on the scar by reducing the blood vessels present in the scar tissue.