Scars tell a story, but maybe you don’t want yours to be the only narrative.
Our specialized scar revision services offer a discreet and effective path to minimizing the appearance of unwanted marks.
At McGuiness Dermatology & Plastic Surgery, we have a team of scar specialists near Frisco who can recommend personalized treatments to fade your marks—so you decide how your story is told.
From ointments and scar dressings to laser skin treatments and surgical scar revision here’s what we offer at McGuiness.
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To find the information most pertinent to you, use the jump links below.
- What Causes Scarring?
- Why Should I Visit a Dermatologist First?
- Laser Skin Treatments
- Surgical Scar Revision
- The Process at McGuiness
Alternatively, you don’t have to read about scar revision and scar removal at all. Instead, you can go straight to the source and speak with a scar specialist near Frisco about your scars and your options when you call our office.
What Causes Scarring?
Scars get a bad reputation, but let’s not forget that they are a sign that your body is healing properly. These marks come in all shapes and sizes and form as a result of your body repairing itself after injuries like burns, surgery, acne, illness, and accidents.
In order for a scar to form, the injury needs to go to the deeper layers of our skin, like the dermis (middle layer). Once that happens, your body sets off a series of events to close the wound which includes inflammation, increased blood flow, tissue growth, and an increase in collagen production.
The Role of Collagen
Collagen is a protein that structures and supports your skin, aids your dermis in growing new cells, and replaces old, dead cells with fresh, healthy ones.
While collagen does a great job of closing the wound, it doesn’t always do the best job of restoring the skin’s original architecture and appearance. That’s because collagen heals skin parallel to the epidermis, which appears different from unscarred skin that lies in a woven, criss-cross pattern.
Another factor of scarring is how much collagen is used. Typically, scarring results from either an overproduction of collagen, creating a raised scar, or an underproduction that creates indentations in your skin.
Types of Scars
At McGuiness, we can treat the following types of scars.
- Keloid – A scar that raises above the skin’s surface and extends beyond the edges of an original wound or incision.
- Tethered – Occurs when scar tissue attaches to the top and lower layers of skin causing an indented scar. A scar specialist near Frisco could tell you that acne usually causes this type of scarring.
- Hypertrophic – Similar to keloids, these are another type of raised scar. However, they are typically smaller and do not spread beyond the wound. They are often accompanied by hyperpigmentation and may appear pink, red, or purple depending on your skin tone.
- Contracture – Scars that develop after a burn. These cause skin to tighten and can limit movement, especially if the scarring forms in muscles and nerves or over a joint.
Why You Should Visit a Dermatologist for Scar Treatment
As dermatologists, we want to emphasize the importance of visiting a member of our team for scar revision services. Different scars require different treatments, and you can trust our scar specialist near Frisco to determine the best method of removal.
When assessing your scars, we can determine which technique is best based on your age, overall health, and how long you have had the scar(s).
The following are additional reasons to visit a dermatologist for scar-related concerns.
Acne Treatments
For scars formed from acne, a dermatologist—also sometimes known as a pimple specialist—can recommend personalizedpimple treatments to keep both acne and acne scarring at bay.
Related Reading: Acne in Adulthood? Blame Your Hormones | Hormonal pimple treatment
Skin Cancer Detection
Dermatologists also examine scars to detect your risk of skin cancer. Sometimes, skin cancer can look like a scar. Other times, skin cancer develops in the scar—especially if that skin hasn’t been protected from sun exposure.
All it takes is a 10-minute skin exam for your dermatologist to determine that the scar is non-cancerous.
Related Reading: Discover Peace of Mind With a Skin Exam
Early Intervention
You don’t necessarily have to wait for your wound to become a scar. In fact, the earlier a dermatologist can look at your injury, the quicker they can act and the better chance you have of the skin healing correctly. A dermatologist can give you instructions and recommendations on how to care for your skin and avoid a raised or indented scar from forming.
But of course, it’s never too late to visit a scar specialist near Frisco. With the help of our team, we can create a personalized treatment plan to fade your scars so you can tell your own story.
Laser Skin Treatments for Scarring
Scars form from increased collagen production that heals the skin skin quickly to protect your body from infections.
Keeping this in mind, to reduce the scars, we must still encourage collagen production, just with more control. That’s where laser skin treatments come in. Laser and light therapies target scar tissue with powerful beams of light. This creates micro-injuries in your skin that prompt regulated and healthier collagen production for more balanced healing.
Some of our lasers include the following.
Halo Laser
The Halo laser by Sciton combines ablative and non-ablative wavelengths of light to reduce the appearance of scars. The ablative wavelength exfoliates the top layer of skin, revealing a fresh, healthy new layer. The non-ablative wavelength penetrates deep into the middle layer of skin (dermis) to prompt new collagen production.
Excel V
Excel V delivers pulses of light energy into your scar tissue, which is then absorbed by pigmented cells. Once the cells absorb the heat, it damages the targeted scar tissue, which your body then disposes of. In addition to reducing acne scars and vascular lesions, it also reduces their pigmentation.
Ultralase
Our scar specialist near Frisco may recommend the Ultralase MD by Lutronic. This is a deep resurfacing laser treatment that addresses scarring and other skin irregularities.
BBL
Broadband light (BBL) therapy uses a broad spectrum of light to reduce the appearance of various types of scars. Using this light energy, it can remodel scar tissue, reduce redness, and improve skin texture.
Surgical Scar Revisions
Surgical scar revision is recommended for keloid scars or contracture scars that limit movement. At McGuiness, our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Natalie Barton, uses a range of advanced techniques like the Z-plasty and W-Plasty and skin grafts.
Z- and W-Plasty
This surgical technique gives the skin more flexibility by reshaping the way it heals, reducing visibility of the scar tissue. Dr. Barton makes incisions over the scar in the shape of a “Z” or “W.” This reorients the scar within the “criss-cross” pattern of the healthy skin.
Skin Grafts
Dr. Barton may include skin grafting with your Z- and W-plasty if there isn’t enough skin to close the wound. The procedure requires that we take healthy skin from a separate part of your body and use it to cover over the scar tissue that needs replacement.
The Process at McGuiness Dermatology & Plastic Surgery
Here’s what to expect at McGuiness Dermatology & Plastic Surgery when you visit a scar specialist near Frisco.
Consultation
You start by visiting a dermatologist at any of our 5 locations in the Dallas-Fortworth Metroplex. You can find our dermatology services in the following cities:
- Plano
- Prosper
- Flower Mound
- Murphy
- Frisco
You can expect your provider to begin by asking about the scar’s cause and age, and then look over your medical history. Next, they assess the scar to determine the type and severity to find the best scar revision plan for you, either surgical or light-based.
Treatment: Lasers and Light
For light-based scar revision, you will visit our medical aesthetics centers in Plano, Prosper, or Flower Mound. Lasers and lights typically require more than 1 session to rebuild new collagen and reduce the appearance of scars. During your consultation, we can give you a better estimate of how many sessions you will need for scar revision.
Treatment: Surgical Scar Revision
For surgery, we coordinate the best time and location for you to visit. Dr. Barton has access to various state-of-the-art facilities to perform surgical scar revisions.
The surgery starts with general anesthesia to make sure you’re comfortable throughout the process. Next, Dr. Barton carefully and precisely treats the scar using the “Z” or “W” technique before closing the incision.
Please arrange for a ride to pick you up after surgery, as you won’t be able to drive yourself.
Results
Results vary from patient-to-patient. After your treatment, your scar specialist near Frisco will give you instructions for how to care for your skin. They may send you home with recommended products like ointments or moisturizers to assist in the healing process.
Find Your Scar Solution
There are multiple types of scars, and there are multiple solutions for treating them. At McGuiness, we find the best solution for you and personalize our treatments to help you achieve clearer, healthier skin—scar free.
To learn more, request a consultation or try our treatment planning tool.
