The Ariel Center provides exceptional wound care treatment following injuries such as burns, non-healing surgical wounds, and scars related to oncoplastic surgery.
Burns wounds are exceedingly common and affect both adults and children. These wounds can cause severe skin damage as the surrounding skin cells begin to die. Various factors can cause burns, including:
While some burns may heal quickly on their own, more severe or extensive burns require professional wound care to ease uncomfortable symptoms while promoting healing. Typical complications from burns requiring professional attention include:
The signs that indicate when you should seek wound care treatment for your burn, such as from The Ariel Center, include:
Scars are, unfortunately, permanent and inevitable with oncoplastic surgery procedures. However, they can improve and fade for up to two years based on size and location. Some people are more prone to developing severe scars as age and heredity affect scar formation.
Advice for minimizing scar formation includes:
You should seek medical care for your scar if you experience any of the following:
Regarding professional wound care treatment, numerous options are available to improve the appearance of oncoplastic surgery scars while reducing associated discomfort. Some treatment options include:
Over-the-counter topical corticosteroids, antihistamine creams, and anesthetic ointments are topical treatments that assist scar healing by reducing itchiness and discomfort. For newer scars that are pink and healing, Dr. Rancati may prescribe more potent corticosteroid creams to reduce excessive scar formation.
Sheets of silicone are commonly used to treat scars from surgery, burns, and other skin injuries requiring hospital treatment. It works by sealing the scar and keeping it hydrated when worn for more than 12 hours per day for several months.
Another option is topical silicone gel, which is self-applied and quickly dries into a thin sheet within five minutes.
Corticosteroid injections treat scars that are raised, thick, or red. More severe forms of such scars are categorized as keloid or hypertrophic scars. Multiple small injections are made into the scar tissue to reduce inflammation, itching, and pain. Dr. Rancati may administer these injections in four-to-six-week intervals for several months.
Filler injections, such as collagen, fill depressed scars when injected into or under the scar tissue. Results are immediate but not permanent; this procedure is mainly performed for cosmetic reasons and must be repeated every few years to maintain results.
Skin resurfacing removes the top layer of damaged skin to allow new, smoother skin layers to form. Doing so improves surface irregularities and uneven coloring so that scars are less visible. Examples of surface treatments include:
Scar revision surgery can change the positioning and shape of scars and release a tight scar close to a joint to improve movement.
For scar excision and revision, scar tissue is completely removed, and a flap of adjacent healthy skin reforms the area. When a flap is impossible, a skin graft taken from another body part is used to replace extensive scars.
Z-plasty moves a scar into a natural fold or crease to minimize its visibility while helping to relax or release tightness caused by scar tissue. Tissue expanders use an expandable silicone implant placed under the skin. Eventually, the healthy, stretched skin replaces the excised scar tissue.
