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No scar disappears, but almost every scar can be made flatter, softer, narrower, paler or less noticeable. The method depends entirely on what kind of scar it is: a raised scar is injected, a tethered one is released, a wide one is re-excised, a red one is lasered, a pitted one is resurfaced. At Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, names the scar first and matches the tool to it, combining surgery, injection and laser in a plan rather than a single procedure.
Scar revision is a diagnosis before it is a procedure. Each scar type responds to a different intervention, and most scars are more than one type at once.
Most scars need two or three of these in sequence. The order matters.
Re-excision of the scar and closure along relaxed skin tension lines, sometimes with a Z-plasty or W-plasty to break up a straight line. Local anaesthetic, in the clinic.
A needle passed beneath a bound-down scar cuts the fibrous bands holding it down. The scar lifts and the skin's own collagen fills beneath it. Often combined with filler or resurfacing.
Steroid into a hypertrophic scar or keloid flattens and softens it over a course. Fluorouracil is added for resistant scars.
Keloid surgeryVBeam for red scars, PicoWay for dark ones, fractional CO2 or Fraxel for texture and pitting. Started once the scar has matured.
LasersSilicone gel or sheeting flattens and softens any maturing scar. SPF 50 stops it darkening. Both are part of every plan.
Hyaluronic acid or collagen-stimulating filler lifts a depressed scar after subcision has released it.
InjectablesLaser on a keloid, excision without injection, resurfacing a tethered scar before it is released: each is a common error, and each leaves the patient with a worse scar than they started with.
Scars from surgery, acne, injury, burns and chickenpox, on the face and body.
Ice-pick, boxcar and rolling scars, each treated differently: punch excision, subcision and resurfacing in combination.
Acne and acne scarringWide, raised, depressed or red scars from surgery, caesarean section or skin cancer removal. Re-excision, injection, laser or all three.
Cancer excisionsInjection, silicone, laser and, for keloids, excision only with a prevention plan.
Keloid surgeryIrregular, tight or contracted scars softened with fractional laser and injection, and released surgically where they limit movement.
Lumenis AcuPulsePersistent redness treated with VBeam; brown discolouration with PicoWay or prescription lighteners; pale scars with fractional laser.
VBeamRed stretch marks respond to VBeam; older white ones improve modestly with fractional laser and microneedling.
RF microneedlingInjection and laser often begin at the first visit. Surgery is booked once the plan is set.
Each tool has its own recovery. Silicone and sunscreen are common to all of them.
Treatment of a symptomatic scar, a keloid, or a scar that limits movement is medical and covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral. Treatment of a scar for appearance is cosmetic and priced per procedure and session, quoted at consultation.
Referrals by fax to (403) 225-2914. Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
A revised scar is flatter, softer, narrower, paler or smoother than it was, and often all of these. It is still a scar. Dr. Kuzel states the expected degree of improvement at consultation, in terms of what will and will not change, so that the result is measured against what was promised.
Surgical revision gives its result over a year as the new scar matures. Injection shows within weeks. Subcision and resurfacing improve over three to six months as collagen fills in. Most plans run three to six months.
Scars continue to mature for a year or more, so a young scar is often watched before it is treated. Silicone and sun protection through that year make a measurable difference on their own.
Cosmetic scar treatment is priced per procedure and session and quoted at consultation. Symptomatic scars and keloids are covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral. Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
No. A scar can be made flatter, softer, narrower, paler and smoother, sometimes to the point where it is hard to find, but the skin does not return to how it was before the injury.
Silicone and sun protection start as soon as the wound has closed. Injection for a raised scar can start within weeks. Laser and surgical revision usually wait until the scar has matured, at six to twelve months, because many scars improve on their own in that time.
It depends on the scar type. Ice-pick scars are punched out, rolling scars are subcised, boxcar scars are resurfaced, and most patients have more than one type. Dr. Kuzel maps the scars and sequences the treatments.
Laser treats the colour and texture of a scar: redness with VBeam, brown with PicoWay, pitting and roughness with fractional laser. It does not remove a scar, and it does not treat a keloid on its own.
Yes, a new one, which is designed to heal better than the old: narrower, along a natural line, and without the tension that widened the original.
Surgical revision is one procedure. Injection, subcision and laser are courses of three to six sessions, four to eight weeks apart.
Injection stings briefly. Subcision and surgery are done under local anaesthetic. Laser is done with topical anaesthetic where needed. Recovery is mild for most treatments.
A referral from your family physician covers assessment and treatment of a symptomatic scar or keloid. Cosmetic scar treatment needs no referral.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, assesses every scar and performs every surgical, injectable and laser step personally. He sees patients in English and Czech.
Grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Book a consultation with Dr. Kuzel. A referral covers symptomatic scars; none is needed for cosmetic treatment.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
