Scar correction/surgical and non-surgical

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shirin Milani / Dr. Veith Moser — Specialists in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery (Austrian Medical Chamber)Last updated: 26.03.2026

How scars form is genetically determined. However, there are situations in which scar healing is unfavorable due to external influences or where the scar becomes visible in a particularly disadvantageous area.

Treatments

Scar correction/surgical and non-surgical

Scars occur when the uppermost layers of skin are injured right down to the middle of the dermis. If the skin is only damaged on the surface, there will be no scar. The development of a scar depends on many factors:

Age
Skin color
Scar progression (if a scar is “wrong”, i.e. across to the skin lines, the scar will become bulging and must be surgically “relocated”
Type of scar (e.g. spread out over a large area or slim)

Depending on the problem If the scar is present, the scar must be treated using different methods.

The following treatments are available for scar correction:

Medical needling or stamping of the scar
Microdermabrasion
Cosmelan therapy
Lymphatic drainage
Cortisone injection
Fraxel Laser< /li>
Co2 Laser

Surgical scar correction

In In many cases, surgical scar correction can be useful. In the case of bulging scars, correction should be attempted before the operation by injecting with substances that inhibit scar formation. To do this, the scar must be injected several times at defined intervals. Spot scars (e.g. acne scars) can also be corrected by injecting hyaluronic acid.

Operative Narrbenkorrektur im Überlick

Operating time: 1 hour

Anesthesia: local anesthesia with twilight sleep, possibly general anesthesia

Hospital stay: outpatient or 1 night

Sport: after 3 to 4 weeks

Inability to work: only with major corrections

Before Surgery

For a period of around 14 days before the scar correction operation, you should avoid medications that contain acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. aspirin, ASA, etc.), as these impair blood clotting.
You should also largely avoid alcohol, cigarettes and sleeping pills. Nicotine can also reduce blood flow to organs and delay wound healing. Therefore, avoid nicotine two weeks before the operation and also during the wound healing phase.

After Surgery

Stringing: after 5 to 14 days
Massage of the scar with a special scar ointment from the 3rd week for 3 months
Fresh scar protected from the sun ;tzen
Special scar plasters and/or laser treatment can have a positive effect on scar formation

Surgery Highlights

As a rule, surgical scar correction is carried out on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. General anesthesia may be necessary if scars are painful or have grown firmly into the surface. After collection, the tissue is sent for examination. The surrounding skin is loosened and re-sewn in layers.

Possible Risks

Any swelling and discoloration caused by bruising in the surgical area will subside after two to three weeks. A recurrence can occur, especially in areas that are predilection for poor scar healing (ear, shoulder, décolleté) and in areas that are very mechanically exposed.

Duration

30 min