Question: What are the best treatments to manage and minimize scarring after surgery?
Dr. Rohrich: 90% of how you heal depends upon your genetic makeup as well as the location of the incision. In general, incision scars in the head and neck area usually heal quite well, especially those in the eyelid and nose areas. It is very rare to have any type of keloid hypertrophic scarring in these areas, even in patients of color.
There is a higher incidence of keloid and hypertrophic scarring below the clavicle (neck area) and especially in areas like the presternal (sternum area), the deltoid (shoulder area), and the back, so one needs to be cautious in these areas.
The most important thing, beyond the genetics, is to prevent infection, to do accurate wound closure, early post operative taping, sun avoidance, and massage therapy. The application of vitamin E or antioxidants has not been shown to significantly enhance wound healing or to mature the scar.