Abdominal scar tissue is created by connective fibers surrounding incision sites and abrasions the body uses to heal tears in the skin. Abdominal scar removal can repair or replace damaged skin. The level of success of any abdominal scar removal technique varies depending on the severity of the scar, its location and the source of injury or scarring.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is an outpatient surgical treatment for abdominal scar removal by surgically refinishing the skin. The patient's abdominal skin is frozen with a spray, and then a doctor uses a high-speed instrument with a wheel or brush to reduce the appearance of scarring.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are often used for mild scarring of the abdomen. The procedure is done by cleansing the skin of dead cells, oils and germs with a topical solution. The peel is then applied to the abdomen with the use of an acid based chemical solution. The duration of the chemical peel varies depending on the severity of the scar and is then removed. Chemical peels do not remove deep scars but can be used for mild to light scarring of the abdomen.
Laser Removal
Laser removal is a noninvasive technique that uses laser technology to remove scars from your abdomen. You can get laser surgery that will only focus on the top layer of the scar, or a deep laser surgery that goes deeper into the scar tissue to aid in removal. The difference in these methods is the lighter version leaves the bridges of untouched skin intact to promote faster healing. The deeper version uses a collagen or protein stimulator to encourage growth at the lower layers of the skin.
Surgical Revision
In some cases, surgery might be necessary to reduce the abdominal scar. Surgical revisions work by moving the scar toward a natural crease in the skin, which will produce a less prominent scar because it will heal without as much tension.
Punch Graft
A punch graft can minimize the appearance of scarring by removing an area of tissue and replacing it where the scar was located. If the abdominal scar is severe, a punch graft may be used and the skin is placed over the abdomen and stitched in place. Unfortunately, grafts result in scarring in the area that the skin was taken from, but techniques such as dermabrasion or laser resurfacing can diminish the appearance of scars.
