Dr Barry Eppley runs a private plastic surgery practice through his hospital-based medspa locations at Clarian Health in Indianapolis. To learn more about the latest trends in plastic surgery, spa therapies, or skin care, go to his daily blog, http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com .
Scars are a great concern for many patients. It is common after surgery, for example, for people to ask how abouot the best wat to take care of a scar. While healing and time is a big factor in the final outcome, there are a variety of hands on methods that how the scar will turn out.
1) If your surgical incisions are left open at the end of the operation (usually occurring in facial procedures), keep them covered with Bacitracin ointment 2 to 3 times per day. The purpose of Bacitracin or any antibiotic ointment is to keep the suture line soft and supple not really to prevent infection. Once the sutures are removed, apply a very light layer of Bacitracin ointment twice a day for an additional week.
2) If the surgical incisions are taped (usually body procedures), leave the tapes on until your plastic surgeon removes them. Getting the tapes wet in the shower is OK. They will not easily fall off as they are glued in place. When your tapes are removed for the first time, new tapes may be put back to cover the incisions for another week.
The time to begin scar therapies is when they are healed over, about three weeks out from surgery or the injury. At this time, all sutures and tapes have been removed and the incision is sufficiently healed to start topical therapies.
4) The best topical treatment to apply is SCARGUARD, a proprietary blend of Vitamin E, hydrocortisone (steroid), and silicone. These are the only three topical agents that are known to improve scars. Three weeks after surgery, apply SCARGuaRD twice a day-in the morning and evening. It is easy to apply, and dries quickly and invisibly.
The application of topical SCARGUARD startes at three weeks and ends at three months after the surgery or injury.
6) Scars that are exposed to the sun in the first 6 months following surgery have a tendency to darken and become rougher in texture. Exposure to UV rays does not have a positive effect on the final look of scars, so it is crucial to protect them during outdoor activities. I recommends applying a sunscreen that has both UVA and UVB protection prior to any UV exposure.
Taping or silicone sheeting of some scars may be recommended (e.g., breasts, abdomen) may be recommended in certain body areas that are prone to poor scarring. Materials and application instructions will be provided at that time should this scar technique be felt to be advantageous.
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