When a scar feels less tight and stops pulling, you can move more freely, wear what you like again, and spend a little less of each day thinking about it.
A contracture is a thick, tight band of scar tissue that pulls on the skin and sometimes draws a nearby joint to one side, making it hard to straighten out or move through a full range. Surgery suits some situations and not others, and a consultation helps work out whether yours is one of them.
Everything starts with a consultation. Your surgeon looks closely at the scar, asks when and how the injury happened, checks your range of motion if the scar sits near a joint, and listens for what troubles you most, whether that is the tightness, the shape, the colour, or how hard it is to move. From there, the two of you talk through whether one technique or a combination makes the most sense.
Depending on how severe the scar is and where it sits, your surgeon may choose from several approaches. For a contracture, a common technique is to make Z-shaped cuts (Z-plasty) that rotate and lengthen the tissue, releasing the tension. Where a lot of skin is missing, your surgeon may need a skin graft (taking a thin layer of skin from another part of your body) or a flap (moving a patch of skin that keeps its own blood supply from a nearby area). In some cases, a tissue expander is placed to grow extra healthy skin before the scar is removed.
The type of anaesthesia depends on the size and location. A small scar may be treated under local anaesthesia; larger areas, those near a joint, or those needing a graft usually call for general or regional anaesthesia. Your surgeon will explain the choice for your situation.
During surgery, your surgeon removes or releases the scar tissue that is pulling, rearranges the skin to ease the tension, and closes the wound in a way that limits new scarring. If a graft or flap is needed, your surgeon secures it and applies a firm dressing so it takes well. Some cases call for more than one stage, spaced a few months apart.
Scar surgery is about improvement, not erasure. Holding that line in your mind helps you decide with a clearer head and feel more at ease with the result.
Recovery shifts with the extent of surgery, where the scar sits, and whether a graft was used. The stages below are rough estimates to help you picture the path, not fixed numbers.
Every operation carries risk. You should know the following so you can weigh it up with your surgeon before you decide.
At The Gioi Dep, our surgeons approach contractures and burn scars with a balance between function and appearance. Your surgeon weighs both your range of motion and the look of the area, plans for the specific part of the body involved, and speaks plainly about what surgery can and cannot do, so you can decide on clear information.
Because scars need care over the long term, the hospital pays close attention to the period after surgery: guidance on scar massage, silicone, sun protection, and movement exercises when the scar sits near a joint. You are given follow-up appointments so your surgeon can watch the scar mature and adjust the plan when needed.
No. No method removes a scar entirely. The aim is to make the scar flatter, softer, less tight, and less visible, and to improve movement if the scar sits near a joint.
You do not feel pain during the operation, thanks to the anaesthesia. Afterward there is usually soreness and a tight feeling for the first few days, managed with pain relief as prescribed. How much depends on the extent of surgery.
It depends on where the scar is and what your job involves. Many people return to light work within about 1 to 2 weeks, though work that needs heavy effort or use of the area just operated on may mean a longer break. Your surgeon will advise for your situation.
A scar usually needs to settle before any work is done, often around 12 months after the wound healed. That said, if a contracture is severely limiting your movement, your surgeon may consider operating sooner.
Your surgeon rearranges the skin and places the incision so the scar blends into the surrounding area as much as possible. The treated area may still differ slightly in colour or texture, and the scar will keep softening and fading over time.
A skin graft takes a layer of skin from another part of the body to cover where skin is missing. The donor area has a new wound that heals over time and leaves a scar of its own. Your surgeon usually chooses a donor area that is less on show.
It can. Scars tend to contract as they heal. That is why movement exercises, silicone, a pressure garment, and follow-up as guided matter so much in keeping the contracture from coming back.
Age on its own is not the deciding factor. What matters is your overall health and your ability to heal the wound. Your surgeon will assess your condition to see whether surgery is safe and sensible for you.
Some large or complex scars need more than one stage, spaced a few months apart, for example when the skin has to be expanded first and the scar removed afterward. Your surgeon will talk through the specific plan with you from the start.
The next step is a conversation - book a consultation.
The content on this page is for reference only and does not replace a direct examination and consultation with a specialist physician. Surgical outcomes vary from person to person.