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How a scar matures after surgery
In the first few weeks the scar is pink and slightly raised. Between the third and sixth month, collagen remodelling takes place and the scar tends to be most visible. Up to a year, and longer in younger people and where the skin is taut, it fades and softens. We assess the final appearance after maturation, not after a few weeks.
Two types of scar call for attention: the hypertrophic scar, which is raised but stays within the line of the incision, and the keloid, which extends beyond the wound and keeps growing over time. A tendency to keloids is an individual trait; it more often affects people with darker skin and areas of high skin tension.
What to do from the first weeks
The operating surgeon decides on wound care, and their recommendations take precedence. International scar guidelines identify the basis of prevention as: relieving tension on the scar (a bra recommended by the surgeon, tapes), silicone gel or sheets used regularly for several months, moisturising, and sun protection for at least a year, because a young scar easily becomes pigmented2, 3.
It is worth starting scar massage only after the surgeon's consent. Sunbathing, sunbeds and saunas in the first few months make the scar's appearance worse.
When a scar needs therapy at the practice
Warning signs include a scar that after three months is still firm, raised, itchy or painful; a scar that grows beyond the line of the incision; and a scar that pulls on the skin or remains pigmented despite maturing. We plan therapy after a medical consultation and with the consent of the surgeon, who knows the implant and the course of healing.
Wound dehiscence, discharge, increasing pain or fever are a matter for the surgeon, not for the aesthetic medicine practice.
Methods we consider at NL Clinic
Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing remodels the scar's fibrous tissue over a series of treatments; each one needs a few days of healing. The Er:YAG 2940 nm erbium laser vaporises very thin layers of skin and heats it only slightly; it smooths the surface of the scar, whether sunken or raised. Hybrid laser combines, in a single pulse, a CO2 beam that works on the surface with a 1550 nm beam that remodels the skin more deeply without vaporising it; for a scar, this makes it possible to smooth the surface and remodel the skin beneath it at the same time. Picosecond laser acts more superficially, with a shorter healing time, and is effective for scars with pigmentation. Mesotherapy for the skin for scars, moisturises and stimulates the skin around the scar. Microneedling combined with peeling, evens out the texture of atrophic scars. A doctor may give hypertrophic scars and keloids intralesional injections, often combined with a laser; this plan is always decided by a doctor after an examination.
We combine methods, because according to international guidelines, combining several gives a better chance of improvement than one alone1, 2. The goal is to reduce visibility and symptoms, not to remove the scar. The effect depends on the type of scar, the time since surgery and the skin's characteristics, so it is individual.
Procedure and course
We start with a medical consultation: assessment of the scar, a history of any tendency to keloids and of medications, and contact with the surgeon if needed. We perform laser treatments under local anaesthetic cream; a typical series is 3 to 5 treatments at intervals of 4 to 8 weeks, though we set the number after the first treatment. After the laser, redness and small scabs persist for a few days; sun protection applies throughout the series.
Contraindications
An unhealed wound, active infection, pregnancy and breastfeeding for some methods, a fresh tan before a laser treatment, photosensitising medication and oral retinoids in recent months. A tendency to keloids does not rule out therapy, but it changes the plan. The doctor discusses the full list at the consultation.
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NL Clinic, Katowice
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Last updated
26 September 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can a scar be removed completely?
No. Treatments reduce its visibility, thickness and symptoms.
When is the earliest I can start?
Silicone and sun protection after the wound has healed, with the surgeon's consent. The doctor sets the timing of laser treatments; usually not earlier than a few months after surgery.
Is laser safe with an implant?
The treatment works in the skin, at a depth of fractions of a millimetre. Qualification is confirmed by the doctor, and, if in doubt, by the surgeon who inserted the implant.
Will a pigmented scar disappear?
Pigmentation in a young scar often clears on its own with sun protection. If it remains after maturing, a picosecond laser can be considered.
Sources
1. Gold M.H., Berman B., Clementoni M.T. et al., Updated international clinical recommendations on scar management: part 1, evaluating the evidence, Dermatologic Surgery, 2014;40(8):817-824.
2. Gold M.H., McGuire M., Mustoe T.A. et al., Updated international clinical recommendations on scar management: part 2, algorithms for scar prevention and treatment, Dermatologic Surgery, 2014;40(8):825-831.
3. Monstrey S., Middelkoop E., Vranckx J.J. et al., Updated scar management practical guidelines: non-invasive and invasive measures, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2014;67(8):1017-1025.
Bibliographic data checked in the PubMed database on 26 September 2026.
The content is for information. It does not replace a consultation, an examination or an individual assessment.