Introduction
There is a general idea among the people that cosmetic surgery is “scar less”. I frequently have patients asking me “So this procedure will be scar less, right?” or “I have a scar in my forehead, you’ll make that disappear, right?” This notion about cosmetic surgery is inherited from the movies where actors frequently get a plastic surgery done to their faces resulting in a complete change in their faces without leaving any forms of scars! Let us now look into the reality.
Scars
Scars are marks left over the skin when the skin is injured. Practically speaking, scars cannot form once the baby is inside the womb: if the skin is injured then the healing is scar less! After birth, any form of trauma (including surgery) leads to the development of scars. Therefore, surgeries without scars do not exist at this point of time! Do not be fooled by advertisements labelling a procedure as “scar less”: if the surgery requires a skin breach, then scarring is inevitable. That being said, there are a variety of procedures adopted by cosmetic surgeons which lead to barely visible scars which is the beauty of cosmetic surgery.
Surgical Technique
Surgical technique is sometimes over exaggerated in cosmetic surgery. However, there are some basic principles which need to be followed when performing a cosmetic surgery like the resting skin tension lines, method of closure and so on. Frequently one might see ugly scars over the face of individuals: this is the result of poor technique and can be addressed successfully by scar revision techniques in many cases. Therefore, ugly scars can be made to convert into good scars.
Skin Color
Skin color is one aspect which can modulate scars in many ways. People who are fair usually have scars after surgery which can be very difficult to discern. On the other hand, as the skin color darkens the scars become more and more prominent. This fact should be explained to such people coming in for cosmetic surgery. In dark skinned individuals even hypertrophic scars and keloids can form which can be very unsightly and might require other forms of management.
Treatment of Scarring
An astute cosmetic surgeon will have multiple options of scar revision in his hand. Not every procedure is suited for everyone and he should be the best judge in this regard. Patients should understand that although scarring is inevitable there are now multiple options to make the scar appear lighter so that the final result should be excellent in trained hands.
Conclusion
“Scar less” surgery does not exist. Do not be deceived by “scar less surgery” or “scar less hair transplants” as you would then be ultimately disappointed. Patients should therefore choose a cosmetic surgeon who would highlight them this reality and would strive for less visible scarring and would also offer them multiple procedures to ensure that unsightly scars do not occur.
For more information about Scars and Cosmetic Surgery feel free to consult Prof. (Dr.) Souvik Adhikari.
