More Than Skin Deep: How Lasers Transformed a Life Affected
I was once visited by a lovely lady who suffered severe facial bone fractures around her eye that required surgery to stabilize. Her surgical scars contracted over the next few months until she could barely open her eye. The scars limited her peripheral vision, affected her balance, her work as a clinician, and her first impression, both social and professional.
Scar contractures occur in the final phase of wound healing and tend to form where there is mechanical tension. Because the scar tissue is tighter than normal skin, it can limit movement or cause discomfort.
To get some help, she consulted with plastic and ophthalmic surgeons who told her that there was nothing they could do to improve the scars because new incisions would cause even more scarring. Because she knew I frequently use ablative lasers on scars and understood how the lasers work, she was willing to try the scar treatment I recommended.
To initiate the treatment, I protected her eye by inserting what looks like a metal contact lens. I then used an ablative erbium laser to cut the fibrous scar bands that were pulling her outer lids together. A fractionated ablative laser treatment followed in order to replace a percentage of the hard, contracted scar with normal, stretchable skin. I injected the treated areas of the scar after the treatments with a medication to help prevent the scar from re-contracting. We repeated the fractionated laser treatment a month later.
Fractionated ablative laser treatment, like with our Profractional laser, can restore normal movement, decrease pain, and improve the appearance of contracted scars.
Lasers today are a great replacement for having to go under the knife. Noninvasive laser treatments are used for many concerns and conditions such as skin resurfacing needs, sagging skin, and nail fungus. They are also used for vein, hair, and tattoo removal.
When I saw her again a few months later, it was one of the most gratifying results I've experienced. With no other treatments, her scars were almost imperceptible. Improving scars really can change someone's life and it goes to show that happy endings are possible – even if the story has a tragic beginning. So, if you or someone you know might benefit from laser treatments, request an appointment and let’s discover a treatment plan that’s right for you.
– Cynthia Elliott, MD, Skinspirations
Dr. Cindy Elliott is the owner of Skinspirations as well as the clinician training facility, ExpertEsthetics. She’s personally performed over 29,000 esthetic treatments and taught her advanced esthetic injectable and laser techniques to over 250 clinicians. That means it’s likely that if you’ve had a treatment in Tampa Bay, the provider who did it was trained by Dr. Elliott.
