UGLY SCARS
I have a few prominent scars on my forehead and the left cheek caused by a car accident about two years ago. These scars also have some dark dots in the middle. Is it possible to remove the scars?
It may not be possible to remove the scars altogether, but certainly their looks can be improved by a procedure known as scar revision. Essentially, the old prominent scar is replaced by a finer scar. It is sometimes also possible to place the scar at a less visible position on the face. The black dots you’ve mentioned is probably dirt which has remained on the wound as ‘traumatic tattoos’. These can be removed during scar revision.
PROMINENT NOSE
I have always disliked the shape of my nose. It’s wide and has a large round tip. Can I expect any improvement by plastic surgery? Will the operation result in scars?
The appearance of your nose can be improved by a procedure known as rhinoplasty. It can be performed flawlessly without leaving any scars on the skin. All the necessary cuts are made inside the nose. Which is why it doesn’t lead to any scars later. However, if the tip of the nose is severely deformed, there may be a small scar on the strip of the skin between the nostrils after the operation. Even this scar remains hidden and is hardly visible after sometime. The round tip can be corrected and refined by carefully removing some of the cartilage (tough white flexible tissue attached to the bone) from the tip. Because the nose is wide, it may require cutting of bone and addition of cartilage, or bone, or an implant ? particularly if the nose is flat.
SMALL BREASTS
I am 20. My breasts are very small. It looks embarrassing and ruins my self-confidence. I am otherwise healthy and good in studies. I have tried local application of some creams which did not help at all. Is it possible to enlarge my breasts?
Your problem can be taken care of by an operation called breast augmentation. This procedure involves making small cuts on the crease below the breasts and inserting silicone breast implants. Please remember that no gels or ointments are of any help in the problem you have mentioned. On the contrary, they often delay the right kind of treatment.
MASTECTOMY
After having suffered from cancer I had my right breast removed several years ago. The therapy is over and I have recovered from the disease. I’ve been using an external prosthesis to augment the breasts. Is it possible to build a breast artificially?
A new breast can be made by a breast reconstruction operation. There are several ways of doing this. It largely depends on the condition of a patient and her personal preference. For instance, it is possible to make a breast entirely out of your own body tissues by using skin, fat and muscle from the lower part of your abdomen. Another alternative is to use a tissue expander, resembling a balloon, which is temporarily implanted and then gradually inflated with saline water over several weeks so that enough space is created to insert a breast implant, matching the opposite breast. If desired, it is possible to reconstruct the nipple. But this requires further surgery.
stretch marks
My belly has developed stretch marks following childbirth. The skin in the lower part hangs down under which there is sweating and infection. Will exercise help? Please suggest a remedy.
Exercise can tighten your abdominal muscles, but it cannot tone up the sagging skin. You can be helped by an operation called abdominoplasty. This involves removing the excess skin and draping the remaining skin in such a way as to give a pleasing shape to your abdomen. At the same time, the scars are placed in the least visible places. If your tummy muscles have moved apart or have become weak, which sometimes happens following pregnancy, they also may require repairing.
YOUR HEALTH
We invite readers’ queries on health problems. Eminent doctors will respond to them in this column every week. Mail your letters to:
KnowHOW, The Telegraph, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700 001
email: knowhow@abpmail.com
