Removing Scars
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Doctor Eric Bernstein, MD, is a nationally recognized dermatologist. His office is located in Bryn Mawr, next to Philadelphia, Radnor, Villanova, Devon, Gladwyne, Ardmore, Haverford, Wynnewood, Narbeth, Rosemont, Penn Valley, Elkins Park, and New Hope. |
Scar Treatment
Scars come in all shapes and sizes. Lasers are particularly
good at treating red scars, in which they will remove the red color
as well as helping the texture of the scar significantly. Keloids,
are large thick scars that extend beyond the boundaries of the
original wound. Keloids are often best treated by injecting
steroid medicines into the scar. Steroids have two side
effects that we utilize when treating scars; 1) they cause atrophy
or thinning of the skin, a desirable side effect with a thick keloid
and 2) they cause telangiectasia or broken blood vessels, an undesirable
side effect in a scar that may already be significantly red. Once
a keloid has been injected enough times to cause it to flatten
out, there may often be more redness than was present originally
in the keloid. At this time lasers are extremely effective
at removing the unwanted blood vessels. In addition, lasers
will also help improve the texture of the scar.
Scars, often in addition to being red, will
have increased pigmentation (hyperpigmentation) along the line
of the scar. The reason
this happens is unclear, but in some way the inflammation that
causes a wound to heal will also cause increased pigmentation or
brown discoloration of the surface of the skin. Thus I often
use topical agents to lighten this discoloration prior to, or during,
a series of laser treatments.
 
Scar before laser and topical treatment (left), and after treatment
(right).
Laser treatments can also improve scars that
are restricting one's range of motion, such as when a scar is
over a joint. They
do this by inducing an inflammatory response within the scar and
causing remodeling of the underlying collagen. I often use
vascular lasers to treat red scars. In addition, I use infrared
lasers to improve depressed scars such as acne scars and chicken
pox scars. These lasers work by heating the underlying skin
and stimulating new skin formulation to help fill out a depression
in the skin.
To answer your specific questions or schedule a consultation, call Dr. Bernstein today at 610-581-7400. |
