Everyone wants flawless-looking skin. Unfortunately, every time you incur a cut or injury, or as your weight fluctuates, you see unsightly scars and stretch marks on your body. There are ways, however, of being able to deal with scars and stretch marks so you can flaunt smoother and clearer skin.
Surgical Procedure
An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck can be performed to remove excess skin under your belly button. This is where most stretch marks are located, especially those incurred during and after pregnancy. A tummy tuck removes these stretch marks, leaving tighter, smoother skin on the abdominal area.
A tummy tuck may also be performed in conjunction with liposuction.
Liposuction is a surgical means of removing excess fat. When liposuction is performed, often stretch remarks remain if the skin had been stretched to accommodate the excess fat. Doctors may be able to eliminate these stretch marks with skin-tightening procedures, such as a tummy tuck, or they may recommend other types of stretch mark treatments, such as laser treatment.
Since it is a surgery, liposuction may also leave you with a scar. The scar will eventually fade within the first year after the surgery was performed. Furthermore, the incisions usually are made in locations where they can be easily covered up or hidden.
Laser Procedures
For a less invasive form of stretch mark or scar removal, laser surgery is your best option. It is an outpatient procedure that has very little or even no recovery period at all. It also costs much less than plastic surgery.
Laser procedures, however, cannot guarantee complete removal of stretch marks or scars. They reduce the pigmentation but cannot correct the actual scarring. In other words, they make the scars or stretch marks less visible making the skin appear clearer.
Laser procedures will respond only to dark colors, so this method of stretch mark or scar removal is ideal for scars in their early development, when they are still purple or deep red in color. People with fair skin and those who have minor stretch marks or scars are the perfect candidates for laser procedure.
Scar Revision
To completely eliminate scars, scar revision surgery is usually performed. Depending on the gravity of the scar, scar revision can be conducted while you are conscious under a local anesthetic, while you are sedated, or while you are in deep sleep under general anesthesia. During the surgery, the scar may be removed completely and the wound that is left is sutured very carefully.
Scars will shrink in size and will become less visible over time. You can wait for scar revision until your scar has lightened in color. This can take several months to a year after your wound has healed. In some cases, however, it is best to surgically remove the scars 60 to 90 days after your wound's scar begins to develop.
