Am I A Good Candidate For Facial Scar Revision?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am seeking facial scar revision. I have a straight facial scar from the corner of my ear to the corner of my mouth on the left side of my face. It was from a knife attack.  It happened when I was 16. I am now almost 47 years old. Could you please review my face?= and tell me if I am a good candidate for scar revision?

A: In looking at your pictures, the scar width is not terribly wide but it is a straight line from the mouth to the ear. As would be expected from an injury now thirty years old, the scar is quite mature. There is probably merit to excising the scar and placing some geometric changes along the line that breaks up its linearity, particularly in the locations of the smile lines. While there is no way to ever completely remove the scar, it is possible to make it less obvious than it is right now.

The key decision for your scar revision, however, is unique because of how old the scar is and your age. You have lived with it for so long it is an accepted part of your appearance. (I didn’t say you liked it but it has been with you for most of your life) Whether the time necessary for healing and having the scar mature again to get to whatever improvement can be obtained is a big sacrifice at your point in life. Whether the amount of improvement obtained is worthy of that sacrifice is very hard to determine beforehand.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana