Many people undergo routine minor surgery to remove moles, skin lesions and other problems. For some people, this can lead to an unexpected and localized scar that results in disfigurement. Many people feel that the local scar tissue is unsightly, and their self-esteem and self-confidence is adversely affected.
Keloid Scarring and Hypertrophic Scarring and Treatment
When some patients undergo minor skin surgery, have tattoos, or get skin piercings, the skin can form what is known as a keloid scar. This is an overgrowth of tissue that goes beyond the normal boundaries of the original surgical incision, piercing or tattoo. It can often be unsightly after it has stopped growing, and can even cause itching, pain and burning. The exact cause of such scarring is not understood, but it is known to affect darker-skinned people more readily.
To remove a keloid scar has often been an uncomfortable procedure, but new techniques have emerged that use freezing as the basis for removing unwanted scar tissue. This type of cryo treatment is also effective for hypertrophic scar treatment. Slightly different from a keloid scar, a hypertrophic scar is a growth of collagen tissue around the site of incision that results in lumpy raised areas of tissue around the site. Unlike a keloid scar, the hypertrophic scar does not grow beyond the boundaries of the original incision or wound.
New and effective ways to remove a keloid and also perform hypertrophic scar treatment have now been developed. These procedures use liquid nitrogen solution to suddenly drop the temperature of a needle that has been inserted into the site of scar tissue. The surrounding tissue then freezes and can be completely removed. The entire procedure is simple, effective and only causes minimum discomfort to the patient.
The benefit to the patient of having such unsightly scar tissue removed is greater self-confidence, a feeling of a morale boost, and the excision of keloid scar tissue that may have been causing localized pain, itching and other discomfort.