Abnormal Scarring

Featuring Dr. Jugpal Arneja, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACS, FRCS


Duration: 1 minute, 31 seconds

So, after the wound is well healed after a month or two, sometimes scars do become symptomatic or abnormal, and some of the types of abnormal scarring do include keloid or hypertrophic scarring.

If the scar doesn’t settle by 9 to 12 months, it’s important to seek a specialist’s attention, specifically a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon. Some of the things that the specialist might consider doing would be laser therapy, surgical excision or revision, or other adjuvant tools like dermabrasion.

Every wound heals with a scar, whether it be from a surgeon doing an operation or from a fall off a bicycle. Certainly, if you end up in an emergency department and the emergency physician did your suturing, ultimately you want to follow up with your family doctor or primary care physician to determine whether or not the scar is healing appropriately.

Plastic surgeons, after we do surgery, we follow up with patients in our clinics and ensure that the scar is healing appropriately. And when we follow the scar, sometimes we do get abnormal scarring and that’s when later in the process we might suggest other remedies. The ultimate healing of every scar is unpredictable.

If your scar is symptomatic or you think there might be a problem with your scar, the best person to seek medical attention with is your primary care physician or ultimately a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon. They can better assess your scar and determine whether or not any adjuvant therapy might be necessary.

Presenter: Dr. Jugpal S Arneja, Plastic Surgeon, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Plastic Surgeon