Scar Injection
What is scar injection?
Scar injection is the injection of specialized medications to improve the appearance of a scar.
What can scar injection treat?
Scar injection is most commonly used to deliver injection within thick/keloid scars. Many different medications can be used:
- Cortisone (triamcinolone acetonide)
- Chemotherapy agents that slow scar cell growth (5-fluorouracil)
- Botox
- Chemotherapy agents that affect scar blood vessels (bleomycin)
They have different effects and different types of recovery after the procedure. All scar injections are painful – however, the treatment becomes more comfortable with repeat treatment. The number of treatment needed depends on the size/thickness of the scar.
Scar injection can be combined with other treatments, for instance with vascular laser if the scar is both red and thick.
Some depressed scars can be treated with different types of injections, such as normal saline or NCTF injections that may behave as a form of subcision.
What is the procedure and recovery like after scar injection?
On the day of treatment, we review the procedure with you, you sign forms and we take photos of the treatment areas. The area is cleansed before treatment. We lean you back comfortably and provide stress balls to squeeze, since treatment is painful. Ice can also be provided.
Immediately after the procedure, the scar area appears more swollen. The effects of treatment will be visible over the next 2-4 weeks. Follow-up visits are often done in 4-6 weeks. Crusting/blistering does not routinely occur with most agents, but may occur with bleomycin.
Curious to see if you are a candidate for this procedure ? Contact our office for a consultation.