Scar Revision Health Video

Video Transcript

DR. LORETTA CIRALDO: Hi, I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, a voluntary professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and author of "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin." Now, the term scar revision really applies to an approach where someone has a scar and they want to minimize it. And of course, as a dermatologist, I often say I wish that we could simply take an eraser and erase away a scar, but this honestly is not an attainable goal. So if you would like to revise a scar or improve the appearance of the scar, a couple of things that are very important for you to be aware of, are that first, typically, any approach to scar revision involves taking the scar which you currently have and replacing it with a much more cosmetically acceptable scar. And before you even consider consulting with the doctor for scar revision, I'd like to just suggest to you that you really get somewhat of a good family history about how your family skin heals. Many of us including myself have a family history of difficult-healing scars and sometimes unsightly scarring. And if you're someone who has that kind of family history, where maybe you can ask your mom that she ever had a cesarian section or any kind of surgical scar, if there's a family history of bumpy scars, keloids, pigmented scars, then don't get a scar revision. But if you feel that here's no family history, then please choose a board-certified plastic surgeon and have a good consultation with them about having surgical cosmetically-acceptable scar revision.