How Safe Are Surgical Treatments For Scar Removal?

As the name suggests, surgical scar removal methods help to get rid of your scar, or at least the look of it, with surgery. There are many different types of surgical scar removal methods available, including skin grafts, injections (such as dermal fillers), excisions, dermabrasions, cryotherapy and laser surgery. These all have their own benefits, downsides and risks and work in slightly different ways.

The most common form of surgical scar removal is by laser therapy. Laser treatment for scars aims to reduce the redness of a scar by specifically targeting the blood vessels that are within the excess scar tissue. It can also work to make the scar flatter by removing the top layer of skin to stimulate collagen production within the layers deeper down.

When it comes to surgical scar removal, just like any other kind of surgery, there are also some potential risks and downsides. Some of the typical risks include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Delayed healing
• Change in skin sensation
• Nerve, blood vessel or muscle damage
• Swelling
• Sensitivity
• Skin discolouration
• Varying pain

Depending on the exact type of surgery you undergo, there may also be risks regarding allergies to materials or products used as well as the usual risks associated with being under general anaesthetic.

As with any surgical procedure, there will be risks to consider, but as long as you have a trained, qualified and experienced surgeon performing your procedure, then you'll be in good hands. To find out exactly how safe each different procedure is, speak to your doctor before and they'll explain exactly what will happen and all the risks. One of the things to know before having laser treatment for your scar, as it's often asked about, is that the majority are safe for both scars on the body and face.

If you're still not sure if a surgical method is for you, then there are plenty of other options to try out first! These have far less potential risks and can be a lot friendlier on your bank balance too.

Creams, Lotions & Serums

There are plenty of creams out there to help with the appearance of scars! These scar creams help to strengthen the area of skin as well as hydrate it to make the scar appear less prominent.

Oils & Balms

Certain plant-based oils such as that from the Sacha Inchi Seed, are full of nutrients as well as Omegas to help with the look of scars. These scar oils help to soothe and hydrate the area deep down to slowly fade the look of the scar tissue.

Skin Repairing Sprays

Just as the name suggests, skin repair sprays work to restore the skin and, therefore, help with scarring. They work to rebuild skin tissues to help with the appearance of scars as well as with dryness and irritation.

Micro-Needling

This technique involves a unique device called a derma roller. This device contains hundreds of tiny needles, only around 0.5mm in length, which are gently rolled over the skin. This promotes cell regeneration and collagen production and, therefore, helps with the look of scars. These can be used all over the body, but are most popularly used to get rid of acne scars on the face.

Skin Camouflage Make-Up

The last, but not least, is make-up. You can now buy specific make-up online that is denser and pigmented than your normal stuff and aims to cover up the scar and make it look like normal skin. You can usually find scar cover up make-up as foundations or concealers.