You or your child has fallen and sustained a significant laceration to their face, arm, leg or anywhere else.  What are you to do?    For many lacerations and injuries treatment at a medical aid unit, or emergency room will be more than adequate and provide with an acceptable scar.   But what if the cut is complex, jagged, irregular or simply somewhere very cosmetically important (eyelid, lip, etc.)  Seeking a board certified plastic surgeon who can lend their expertise may be the best answer to minimize the scar.   Unfortunately we cannot perform ‘scarless’ surgery or ‘erase’ the scar from the injury but what we can do is everything possible to minimize that scar and maximize your or your childs aesthetic outcome.

 

Highlights: Traumatic injury is identified and plan of repair Local anesthesia utilized (topical or injectable) Neatly approximated repair with small sutures Early removal of sutures to prevent ‘train tracks’ Post procedure scar care Can be done ‘next day’ with optimal results

Quick Links: Procedure             Recovery Your Next Step                         3D Animation

Procedure:

Depending on the person, the injury location and severity topical anesthetic or injectable is utilized to numb the area adequately for the procedure to begin.

As noted, these repairs are often performed in our office, and since not all injuries will occur during the day while the office is open people are often instructed to come the next day.  Why is this ok you ask?  Or perhaps your pediatrician or doctor has told you it must be closed immediately.  The answer is in the fine details of scar optimization and management that we utilize to maximize your outcome.

Since most traumatic wounds were not created with a razor sharp scalpel, there is often a jagged, irregular, and traumatized wound to deal with.  By removing a tiny bit of tissue from the edges of the wound we are able to turn your traumatic damaged wound into a razor sharp controlled and new surgical wound for closure.  This is the first step in ensuring the wound has the best chance of healing.

Following this the fresh, sharp edges are tediously and precisely put together with our best skill to ensure the edges will heal nicely together and limit the scar by keeping it even and narrow.

What to expect:

Most areas are treated with a topical antibiotic ointment 2-3 times per day.  Kept dry for the first 24-48 hours depending on location and strenuous exercise, sports, gym is restricted for the first 2-3 weeks. 

Sutures are removed when appropriate, but usually within 4-7 days to ensure adequate healing but prevent the dot mark/train tracks that are associated with leaving sutures too long:

Scar optimization:

After the meticulous repair, appropriate suture removal a program of moisturizing, massage, and optional treatments are discussed and begun.  Moisturizers are started at 2-3 weeks after the injury and may be basic or can utilize advanced scar treatments such as mederma or scar guard.  Additionally IPL (intensed pulsed light) a laser type technology can be added to minimize the scarring as well.

 

Advanced Plastic Surgery Center located in Newark, Delaware, is convenient to Wilmington, Elkton Maryland, Chester County Pennsylvania, and Southern New Jersey . Our well trained staff and highly qualified surgeons are available to assist you with your cut or laceration to ensure the least noticeable scar possible.   Please contact us today or have your pediatrician or medical aid unit do so to discuss the best options for your injury

 

(before and after on 2 or 4 patients with link to photo gallery) Schedule an Appointment with Our Plastic Surgeons Our surgeons use the latest in surgical technology to provide patients with the finest medical care and to deliver natural-looking results. To schedule an appointment for a laceration or other injury contact us in Newark, near Wilmington, Delaware today.