When there is cut to any part of the body- be it injury or following operation there will be scar. Scar depends on many factors:
- Age
- Area of injury
- Hereditary
- Race
- Type of injury
After the scar revision, the operated area will be neat for a few days to weeks, followed by increasing redness, swelling, itching, mild pain. this normal. After 2-3 months the operated area again becomes soft, supple & fine. Ultimately the scar becomes a fine line in about 6 months times. But it may vary. In static areas the scar revision result will be very good, giving only a fine line like scar. But in junctional areas-over joints/ where there is excessive movement, the scars do stretch, over a period of time, though initially they were very thin. Hence in these junctional areas/ stretch areas, the result of scar revision may not be as expected by the patient. But in other areas one can expect good result. Some times entire it may not be possible to remove the entire scar in one stage. It may take 2 or more sittings to remove the scar. Though it is time consuming, it is worth waiting for, as the results are definitely better, compared to many methods.
Rhinoplasty (reashaping of the nose) is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. Rhinoplastiy can reduce or increase the size of the nose, alter the width of the nose, the shape of the tip or the bridge of nose. The ideal time to operate on any nose is after 15 years, as the the facial growth is complete by then. Indications- large nose, small nose, depressed nose, crooked nose, bulkitip, wide nostrils, asymmetry of the nose, hump nose (parrot beak). Some general principles followed for some common problems in the nose are-
- Short nose- The length and height can be increased to the possible extent by various materials. Natural (own tissue)- cartilage or bone-taken from rib cage (or) forearm bone, hip bone etc -Synthetic (artifical)- silicone material, which is a safe bio-compatible alternative
- Long nose- The length and height can be decreased by trimming parts of bone (or) cartilage of the nose.
- Hump nose- can be corrected by removing the overprojecting part of front of nose
- Deviated (or) crooked nose- corrected by surgery on the midline septum -either bony or cartilagenous or both..
- Wide nose- can be made narrow by reducing the width of nostrils.The scars are hidden under the nostrils and hardly noticeable.
Most of the procedures are performed through cuts made with in the nose- that means no scars are visible outside, except in some cases, where in the a small scar will be present under the nostrils, which is hardly visible in many cases. the operation can be done under local or general anesthesia. usually the surgery lasts for 1 to 3 hours. Aftet the operation a small dressing is placed over the nose which may be removed 2 to 7 days later, depending on the type of operation. There will be some swelling for 2-3 days, which subsides by one week time in most of the cases. When osteotomies are done (operation on bone) the swelling reduces very slowly. Some can go on same day, for others 1-2 days of hospital stay is necessary.
One does not have to worry from having either thick lips or thin lips. Both can be connected with ease. Thin lip can be made thick- by Hyaluronic acid / fat injections .The large lip can be thinned by minor surgery which is done from inside the mouth with out any visible scars.
In many cases there is no actual scar but, because of depressions 
over skin caused by the healing of infected acne (pimples), it mimics scars. In some there may be true scars. The principle in treating these scars is to peel off the upper layers of the surrounding skin over the prominent portions, or the pigmented portion, so that the entire skin surface looks even with out scars. The following methods are routinely followed. For minor pitting / scars- Lasers : by certain type pf lasers one can reduce the severity of this pronblem. It may take more sittings and helpful only in some.
Not all the types of lasers available in the market are suitable for this purpose . A qualified dermatologist or plastic and cosmetic surgeon can assess the type of skin, amout of scarring and decide if laser would benefit or aggravate the problem Dermabrasion - is a popular & conventional method to treat the severe types of pitting / scarring and is still the choice in some cases. It aggressively treats the scars in one sitting, but with some post operative sequelae-like- pigmentation, prolonged time of recovery...
The jaws and teeth can be prominent or retruded. The problem may lie in teeth or skeleton (bone). After deciding the nature of problem (whether it is in the teeth or bone) it can be corrected either by teeth correction or by skeletal (bone) surgery or both. An experienced plastic and cosmetic surgeon alonng with an orthodontist can assess the magnitude of the problem and correct it by placing the jaw bone (forwards or backwards) either in toto or only the front teeth bearing segment. the common problems with chin are-
Retruded chin - Can be various tupes - Some are born with this defect. If dental occlusion is normal it can be improved by simple procedure of placing an implant under the skin and the patient can go home on the same day This can also be done by cutting bone and bringing it forwards.
Prominent chin - This problem can be corrected by cutting excess part of jaw bone and placing it backwards. It requires 1-2 days
of hospitalization.
Many a time we assess the age of a person by looking at the face. So 'Face' is the window of our age. Many creams are being used to decrease or reverse the changes of aging of the face. But after certain time, operation may be needed to give the face a youthful appearance. As we grow older certain changes do occur in our face,due to prolonged exposure to the environment like - sun, wind, gravitational effect, decreased elasticity of the skin. All these affects lead to sagging of skin & excessive skin folds over fore head, cheeks, jaw, chin neck or entire face. The basic principle in surgery for aging face is simple-meticulous lifting up of the sagging of not only skin, but also muscles in some cases upwards, so that youthful appearance results and wrinkles disappear. The excess skin is removed and sutures applied. Depending on the area of involvement the operation can be on
- Fore head lift- if only the fore head winkles are to be improved.
- Brow lift - to lift the sagging "eye brow ".
- Blepharo plasty- To improve the baggy eyelids and deposits around the eyes.
- Full face lift - if entire face & neck wrinkles are to be improved.
Time: 2-4 hours depending on the procedure, requires 1-3 days hospital stay. Swelling & bluish discoloration may persist for up to 1-2 weeks depending on the area. skin tightening will be noticed for up to 3-4 weeks time.
Many deformities are noted even in normal persons.
Prominents ears (bat ears)
This can be corrected by simple surgery of creating folds in the cartilage of the ear.
Small or under developed ears
These require elaborate procedures with meticulous planning (A piece of cartilage from chest is taken along with skin to mould the missing parts of ear).
In addition to the above
ear holes can be made, and the large holes in the ear created due to heavy ear rings - can be made small or closed.
