ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Despite a growing number of possible treatment techniques, the basic principles and limits in scar revision and keloid control remain an ongoing challenge. Management of scar formation in dermatosurgery encompasses several aspects including pre-and postoperative prevention, such as resurfacing procedures or compression following surgery in critical sites. Therapeutic options include a combination of sequentially applied procedures. Among those, attempts to correct functional impairments (e.g., brotic contractures) have to be differentiated from methods addressing the conguration of the cicatricial tissue area (e.g., elevated, depressed) or its overall appearance (e.g., degree of pigmentation, vascularization), the latter preferentially including different nonsurgical techniques (e.g., cryotherapy, laser-or light-mediated procedures, intralesional application of steroids or cytostatic agents). However, the decision when and how to intervene is the most critical one. In most instances, conservative timing is advised. Above all, when considering approaches in the treatment of scars, one has to understand the dynamics and biology.
