Question: I have a square scar at my nose area. The size of the scar is about the size of a dime. I have had this scar since I was in my early 20s and I am 41 years old now. The scar hurts my self-confidence, and I have a problem looking at people straight face to face sometimes. My wife asked me one time what happened to my nose, but I did not answer her. She never asked me again because she probably knows I don’t want to talk about it.  Can facial reconstructive surgery for scars be done? I want to know if facial reconstructive surgery can help me remove the scar on my nose and let me have the nose I was born with. I also want to know about the cost and recovery time based on what I described.

Thank you.

Answer: 

Hello!

Scars can certainly cause significant distress, especially when they are in extremely visible facial areas.  In order to best counsel you on scar revision, it would be ideal to know what type of skin you have, your scarring history, how the scar occurred, how it has changed over the years, and what type of revision techniques have already been performed.  Most scars can be significantly improved with medical and surgical scar revision techniques, but it would be rare to have a scar “disappear” entirely.  I like to focus on good, solid improvement.  Some simpler scars are amenable to in-office revision techniques, and the costs can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on what is required.  Other more complicated scars have to be revised in the operating room and would have an additional operating room and anesthesia fees attached to it.

I hope this helps! I’d be happy to see you in further consultation and evaluate the scar for possible revision.

Corinne Horn, MD