What Went Wrong With My Facial Scar Revision Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am writing you because I had an scar revision and the post surgical treatment was wrong. Now I am desperate and want to know if there is any solution to my problem. I have attached pictures of my before and after surgery condition.

A: In looking at your before and after pictures, I fail to see what you have described as wrong treatment. Your initial scar pictures shows an extremely wide scar, up to 2 cms, that extends from the corner of your mouth down to your jaw angle/neck area. Your postoperative photo shows a much more narrow scar that is in the healing process. In my practice, I would have told you from the beginning that a good result from your type of scar revision would take at least 2 stages (surgeries) and 12 to 18 months to get the final result. You have a horrendously wide scar that runs completely perpendicular to the relaxed skin tension lines of your face. These combined eatures makes your scar revision extremely difficult. The first stage (surgery) would be to just get the scar much more narrow and I would expect some rebound widening afterwards. That appears to be where you are now. You need to let this first stage scar revision heal and then proceed to the second stage (surgery) where further narrowing will be possible and the introduction of some broken line/geometric scar revision techniques used for improved scar camouflage.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana