Scar Management Treatments
Dr. Hustak is particularly aggressive with scar management. Truly scar-less surgery has not yet been developed and since it is often necessary to trade scars on your body for improved shape and contour, it is Dr. Hustak’s goal to make your scar the best it can possibly be. Scar management is dynamic and as the scar moves through its maturation phases, certain products or interventions may be advised.
In conjunction with our Spa, we offer may layers of scar management and the initial ones tailored to your specific body part and genetics, are often INCLUDED in your comprehensive surgical package.
Surgical Interventions
Prineo
Reducing tension is of paramount importance in keeping your scar as thin and fine line as possible. The first defense is a good offense. Dr. Hustak is meticulous in her tension-reducing closure and uses a special incision closure that seals and reduces tension on the closure for 3-4 weeks. This device is placed on during surgery and sealed in place with no need for dressing changes around it. Her team will remove in clinic and start scar management with regiment below thereafter. This devise is included in ALL large incisions closures.
Sylke
SYLKE® is a wound closure device—holding the edges of a wound together while offloading tension through a 360° stretch silk fibroin mesh that mimics the elasticity of skin and allows the silk to move with you, decreasing the disruption of the delicate new matrix of cells. SYLKE® is also a dressing—the biocompatible, pressure-sensitive, breathable adhesive protects the wound from outside contaminants while allowing for the management of mild to moderate exudate.
Compression Garments
Dr. Hustak and ACPS have paired with Marena, a company proudly based in the United States, to provide premium therapeutic post-surgical compression and recovery garments. With multiple shapes and sizes to fit every patient and every aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, you can be assured that you are getting the very best products to support your recovery process. Appropriately fitting garments reduce swelling, pain and tension on incisions which will in turn improve your visible and palpable scar tissue formation. Given their importance, Dr. Hustak includes initial and later stage garments (once the swelling has subsided) in most of her surgical packages.
Surgical Padding
Thick foam padding is employed with certain procedures where contour and strict shaped compression is needed. This is often employed with abdominal and chest etching as well as revision breast surgery. This is another example of an added touch that ensures your outcomes are the absolute best they can be.
Post-Surgical Initial Interventions
Custom ACPS Scar Kit: Each of these products have been personally selected for their properties in wound healing to make the best scar possible. Their combination is particularly powerful for facial incisions and large body incisions.
NeoCutis BioCream
Includes growth factors that help skin heal and repair itself. Apply twice a day
BioCorneum
Silicone based cream that also provides a topical barrier for water loss, creating the perfect environment for scar healing. This includes sunscreen, paramount in reducing sun exposure on immature scars. Apply twice a day
SkinMedica Retinol .25%
This encourages exfoliation of the skin to ensure a thin scar line. Apply at night before BioCorneum silicone gel.
Lytera Skin Brightening Complex
Compound lightening prescription that includes hydroquinone (strength depending on needs) often combined with retinol and hydrocortisone. This is formulated and sent directly to your house based on Dr. Hustak’s prescription. This product brightens dull skin and reduces darkening skin and dark spots.
Post-Surgical Delayed Interventions
Despite aggressive initial interventions, some locations on the body are more prone to poor scarring (hypertrophic or keloid scarring) as are some patients that genetically don’t heal as well. This may necessitate alternative or prolonged interventions.
Dr. Hustak has extensive training in burn reconstruction (known to heal poorly given the mechanism) and it is from this experience as well as training under a nationally renowned wound care director and facility at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Galveston, Dr. Hustak has adopted tenants of these interventions to improve the scarring of her aesthetic patients and those in the greater Houston area that seek her expertise in poor scars.
Intralesional injections of steroids
Known to improve/flatten raised scars and symptoms including itching. Can be performed in clinic every 6 weeks until desired flattening is achieved.
Fractionated lasers
Once the raised scar is reduced with various maneuvers, its appearance can be softened and blended or lightened with various lasers in our medical Spa. Some scars can be treated as early 6 weeks after surgery.
