OK, here is the progression. I did this up so that anyone else considering using Restylane to improve a facial scar can see at least my results:

Before & After

[1] The scar at 7 months, pre-Restylane treatment

[2] A couple of hours after the treatment. I was pretty sore that evening and somewhat the next day, but the following day was much better.

[3] 5 days after the Restylane

I am really pleased with the result! And I've definitely decided against the scar revision surgery - I feel like the scar now is barely visible. I'll have to maintain the Restylane every 4-6 months, but from what I understand the maintenance treatment is less involved that the initial treatment. Maybe I won't continue this forever, but I think I'll give it a go for a year and then re-assess.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

I got my scar shot up with Restylane this afternoon and I think I'm going to be really pleased with the outcome. Right now it's red and swollen and I'll probably have some bruising, too. But I see the fill-in effect and the nurse thought I should have a very good result. The injections seemed to go on forever. It hurt more than I thought and I'm more sore now than I thought I would be. The Restylane web site answers the "Does it hurt" question saying "Some people may experience the treatment as a mild discomfort." Hmmm. Maybe it's different treating a scar - as I said it is still tender to the touch in spots, particularly in the area right over my eyebrow. But the treatment did hurt. And it hurts now.

I'm supposed to take it easy tonight - regularly ice my forehead. So I think I'll go to audible and choose a new audio book to listen to.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Scar

Here's my scar at the 7 month mark (almost to the day). The plastic surgeon wanted me to wait until this month before considering scar revision surgery. So, here we are.

I've decided to try some Restylane (filler) injections - something the surgeon encouraged me to try before going the surgery route. Hey, I'm all for avoiding surgery, so I made the appointment today to get the injections. I could have done it earlier, but I wanted to see how much the scar would improve on its own before taking any action. Even at 7 months it's considered a "young" scar. I'm going to try to get the injections covered by my insurance, but I've been warned they will likely consider it non-essential (for cosmetic purposes).

I'm a bit uneasy about about the injections. The scar is still tender in spots. But interestingly enough, my hairdresser linked me up with another stylist at the salon who has a facial scar treated with Restylane. This gal was very pleased with the outcome and encouraged me to give it a go. Her scar was more complicated than mine (the result of an accident), so she wound up doing revision surgery + Restylane.

I'll post some follow-up pics a week after I get the treatment, after the swelling will be 100% gone.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

It started like this:

:-(

Now, after 5 months, it looks like this:

Now

Better, yes. But I still have an obvious scar, normally mostly hidden under the bangs I had cut shortly after the surgery.

I had a consultation with a plastic surgeon this morning. He didn't want to upset me, but he was clearly mystified as to why I had a vertical forehead incision. It should have been done horizontally. Really, I have come to live with the scar and not think too much about it. But after I went to a new dermatologist about another suspicious spot on my forehead, my new doc suggested I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon. I could tell my new dermatologist was also, er, surprised about the vertical incision.
 
One option that is open to me is scar revision surgery, which would involve a z-plasty. The plastic surgeon was honest with me, that I would still have a scar. With the z-plasty it will be a longer scar, but, with the right outcome, it would be less noticeable.

He suggested I wait three months and see how it looks then. It's still considered a relatively new scar. He took a photo of it. He did leave me with a bit of hope--as the very last thing he said was "I'd be very confident doing a z-plasty on you." That made me feel better. He had been more muted on the option for most of the appointment. Like it might be re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. (Well, not that bad, but you get the idea... that it might not give me the level of improvement I'd be looking for.)

He also suggested in the near-term, I could try some Restylane injections to kind of puff it out a bit. I'm mulling that over. I am inclined to just leave it alone for now and see where it is at after 3 more months.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

It's been a couple of months now since my skin cancer surgery. My scar looks only moderately improved from a month ago, though now it mostly lurks under my bangs with my new hairstyle.

It is still surprisingly tender to any pressure, but I'm OK now wearing a swim cap. Some days I don't feel my scar all; other days it itches. I am hoping the itchy days means it's doing some healing. Every night, I go through the ReJuveness routine, but I don't have any real way of evaluating of efficacy of this. Since there isn't much physical change in the appearance--at least so far--I don't know if it's healing or not.

So my scar continues on, living its own life atop my forehead....

Read and post comments | Send to a friend