Cosmetic repair and reconstruction of post-traumatic scarring

       All natural sources of injury will cause irreversible damage to the human body to a certain extent and will leave scarring after healing and repair. The common causes of injuries include burns, cuts, impacts, and electrical, chemical, radiological, and biological injuries. After early treatment, all kinds of injuries produce scarring healing process, which is an inherent protective response of the body. However, undesirable scar production can cause harm to the body. From the functional point of view, it often causes deformities, defects and dysfunctions of damaged tissues and organs due to contraction; from the cosmetic point of view, it often leads to the destruction of the integrity of the shape, which eventually affects its aesthetics. This brings great physical and mental pain to the majority of patients. In serious cases, it can lead to the complete loss of the patient’s ability to work and live and seriously endanger the healthy life of the people. In addition, any surgery that reaches a certain depth in the skin layer will produce a scar healing process, only that proper clinical treatment can often reduce it to an insignificant degree or fade away.  The plastic and aesthetic treatment of traumatic scar is to study the pathophysiological and physiological development and characteristics of the scar healing process, use surgery as the main treatment means and integrate the latest medical science and technology and achievements to optimize the development of personalized treatment plans, so as to correct various deformities, repair tissue defects and reconstruct defective organs, and achieve maximum functional and cosmetic recovery. To enable patients to return to society with a new physical and mental outlook.  A. When is post-traumatic scarring suitable for cosmetic treatment?  After the early post-traumatic wound heals through scarring, its development follows a certain pattern of change. This change generally goes through two stages: the proliferation phase and the remodeling phase. The proliferation of the early scar is an instinctive reaction of the body against the injury. The clinical manifestations of scarring are also most evident during this period. This phase generally reaches its peak in 3-6 months. After that, the scar enters a remodeling phase, where the scar slowly tends to atrophy and gradually becomes softer and flatter. This period often takes six months to more than a year, and in severe cases up to 2-3 years or more. In addition, there is another type of wound healing scar called keloid, which grows into a tumor-like proliferation characterized by a scar that extends beyond the borders of its lesion. The pathogenesis is not yet clear. Surgery alone is generally not indicated.  Plastic and cosmetic treatment of traumatic scarring should begin as soon as the wound heals early. However, surgical treatment should generally be chosen more than six months after the early wound healing. However, surgical treatment should be started earlier in the following cases: eyelid ectropion, severe lip ectropion and microphthalmia, nostril atresia, chin and neck adhesions, adhesive scars in various joint areas, claw-shaped hands and adhesive hand deformities, severe contracture deformities of chest, abdomen and back, contracture deformities of perineum, ulcers that do not heal for a long time, and scars that seriously affect the appearance, etc.  Second, the common non-surgical treatments for traumatic scarring Early proliferative scars, keloids or physical conditions that cannot bear surgery can be treated non-surgically. Of course, some non-surgical treatments are often supplemented by surgical treatments as part of the comprehensive treatment. Commonly used methods are: 1. Compression therapy: Appropriate compression with an elastic sleeve for 1-3 months or more is effective in preventing and treating hyperplastic scars. In recent years, combined with the application of patch made of silicone, its treatment of scar is more effective.  2.Exercise therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy: standardized exercise plus progressive resistance functional exercise for burned hands and other joints can significantly improve the recovery of each joint function.  3.Local drug therapy: The commonly used drug is steroid hormone intra-scar injection. This can flatten and reduce the size of hyperplastic scars and keloids, and reduce or disappear the pain and itching.  4.Radiotherapy: Early use of isotope dressing or deep x-ray or radium or cobalt 60 local irradiation is more effective for newly emerged hyperplastic keloid and keloid.  5. Silicone gel patch or coating: The mechanism of action is still unclear, but clinically observed to be effective. It may be related to moisturization.  6.Other: There are laser, freezing, iontophoresis, ultrasound, wax therapy, Chinese herbal medicine, etc., but the efficacy is not exact and the clinical significance is small.  Third, the principle of plastic and cosmetic surgery treatment for traumatic scar The plastic and cosmetic surgery treatment for traumatic scar is still mainly based on self-tissue transplantation. However, the development of technology and treatment concept has changed from the traditional maximum restoration of dysfunction to the physical, mental and social rehabilitation mode based on the simultaneous realization of beauty and function. The main principles of surgical treatment are: 1. Repair of tissue defects: the treatment principle of what is missing and how much is missing.  2. Reconstruction of defective organs: reconstructed according to the 3-dimensional tissue structure of the missing organs.  3.Resetting of displaced tissues and organs: In addition to replacing the missing tissues, adjusting the balance of tissue tension.  4.Lightening of scar tissue: For example, for some superficial raised or depressed scar, mechanical, chemical and laser methods can be used to smooth the skin and restore a better color.  5, camouflage treatment of scar tissue: commonly used are hair transplantation, tattooing, etc.  In conclusion, there are many treatment methods for traumatic scarring, and their difficulty and effect vary. However, the treatment of scar is a systematic project, and different scar requires different treatment methods or proper combination of multiple methods in order to achieve better curative effect. In addition, the repair and reconstruction of traumatic scarring covers almost all plastic surgery techniques and knowledge, thus the correct selection of plastic surgeons with adequate skills and knowledge in plastic surgery is also the key to success.