“Every scar tells a story. My role is to rewrite the ending — using the most appropriate technique for each scar's unique anatomy, orientation, and history. Whether that's a precise Z-plasty, a local flap, a skin graft, or laser resurfacing, the goal is always the same: a scar that becomes nearly invisible.”
Keloids & melanin-rich skin.
Patients with skin of color — particularly Black, Hispanic, Asian, and South Asian patients — are biologically more likely to form keloid and hypertrophic scars. A scar that would heal flat in lighter skin can develop raised, firm, or pigmented tissue in melanin-rich skin. Standard scar-revision protocols often fall short here.
Dr. Truesdale operates on the most ethnically diverse patient population in his field. His scar-revision technique — tension-redistributed closure, layered subdermal sutures, in-office post-op steroid injections, and silicone-based scar therapy — is built specifically to minimize keloid recurrence and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with darker complexions.
Tell us during your consultation. The plan, the technique, the post-op protocol, and the realistic expectation-setting all change for keloid-prone patients — in your favor when handled correctly from day one.
Schedule a Consultation →What scar revision can do for you
For years, the scar has been the first thing you see when you look in the mirror — and, you’ve long assumed, the first thing anyone else sees too. Scar revision can’t erase what happened. What it can do is change the scar itself: reorient it so it falls within a natural skin line, flatten it, soften its color, break it up, or resurface it — so it stops being a feature of your face and starts being something almost no one notices. Dr. Truesdale trained in facial reconstruction specifically for this work, and he chooses the technique that will produce the most invisible result your particular scar allows.
- A scar that stops pulling focus — reoriented to sit within a natural crease, skin line, or shadow so the eye simply passes over it.
- Flatter, softer, the right color — raised scars brought down, depressed scars lifted, red or pigmented scars blended back toward your skin tone.
- Your face feels like yours again — the version from before the injury, the surgery, or the burn — not erased, but restored to where the scar is no longer what your face is about.
- Photos you don’t have to angle for — no more turning your “good side” to the camera, no more covering the scar with your hair, no more dreading a close-up.
- Strangers stop asking — the question you’ve answered a thousand times (“what happened?”) simply stops coming up.
- Honest expectations, never oversold — Dr. Truesdale will tell you in consultation exactly what is achievable for your specific scar and what isn’t. No promises of erasure — just the best technically possible result for your anatomy.
Ready to discuss your scar revision goals?
Understanding the scar revision procedure
Scar revision is one of the most technically nuanced procedures in facial plastic surgery. The right surgeon — with the right anatomic knowledge, the right technique selection, and the right artistic eye — makes the difference between a scar that becomes nearly invisible and one that remains a daily reminder.
What a scar revision surgery does
Scar revision reorients, camouflages, or resurfaces poorly healed scars from prior surgery, trauma, or acne. The right technique depends on the scar’s orientation, tension, and depth — and Dr. Truesdale selects the approach most likely to make the scar far less noticeable: a scar can be improved, never removed.
Scar revision can rarely make a scar completely invisible — but in skilled hands it can dramatically reduce its visibility, restore lost function, and give patients back the freedom to live without a daily visual reminder of trauma.
The right technique can break a straight scar into an irregular line, redirect it along natural skin folds, or smooth its texture — making it blend with surrounding skin so only someone looking for it would notice.
Contracture scars that limit eyelid closure, mouth opening, or facial expression can be released — restoring movement and function the patient may have lost for years.
Raised, depressed, hyperpigmented, or hypopigmented scars can be improved through laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, or revision techniques — bringing scar texture and color closer to surrounding skin.
Multi-modal management combining surgical excision, steroid injection, 5-FU protocols, silicone therapy, and (when indicated) radiation referral can dramatically reduce the appearance and recurrence of raised scars.
Skin grafts, local flaps, and tissue expansion can rebuild areas of the face affected by trauma, burns, animal bites, or skin cancer removal — restoring both appearance and confidence.
More than the technical result, scar revision often returns something equally important: the freedom to look in the mirror, meet a stranger’s eyes, or take a photograph without thinking about a scar at all.
Who the scar revision is for
If any of the following describes you, the scar revision may be worth exploring:
Dr. Truesdale’s scar revision approach
Dr. Truesdale’s approach to scar revision reflects a consistent set of principles — the same standards that inform every consultation, every surgical plan, and every post-operative follow-up.
Restraint, Not Over-Correction
The most over-done procedures in facial aesthetics are over-done because someone kept going past the right stopping point. Dr. Truesdale's rule: when the result is right, stop — even if more could technically be done. For scar revision, that means committing to the technique most likely to produce the most invisible result — even when it’s the more complex option.
The Artist's Eye
Before becoming a surgeon, Dr. Truesdale was a trained portrait artist. That lens shapes every decision — proportion, light, shadow, the relationship between every feature — in a way purely clinical training alone does not. For scar work, that lens guides incision orientation along natural skin tension lines so the final result respects the geometry of your face.
Personal, Start to Finish
Every consultation, every surgical plan, every procedure — performed personally by Dr. Truesdale. No delegation to coordinators, PAs, or residents. Dr. Truesdale is personally involved every step of the way. Every scar revision is planned and executed by Dr. Truesdale — reconstructive technique selection is not delegated.
Natural Is Non-Negotiable
The only acceptable outcome is one that no one can identify as a procedure — a result that reads as a better version of you. No pulled look, no frozen expression, no obvious work. The scar-revision goal: a result so well integrated that, in time, even you stop noticing the area was ever revised.
Why choose Dr. Truesdale for your scar revision
A few elements of Dr. Truesdale’s training and practice are specifically what make scar revision — as opposed to other facial surgeries — a true specialty of his.
“Every scar has an ideal revision technique. The surgeon's job is to know which one.”
— Dr. Carl Truesdale, MD
Scar revision & reconstruction before & afters
Real scar revision and reconstructive surgery patients of Dr. Truesdale. Each revision is designed around the scar’s location, direction, and the underlying tissue.
Your transformation starts with a conversation.
From first consultation to final reveal
We always tell our patients to ‘trust the process.’ You are in good hands on every step of the journey to your unique masterpiece.
Consultation
Personal session with Dr. Truesdale — facial analysis, honest assessment of candidacy, and a clear plan for what the procedure can and cannot achieve.
Planning
Pre-operative instructions, medical clearance when you have sedation, and a personalized plan Dr. Truesdale reviews with you before the day of the procedure.
Procedure Day
Performed at True Surgical Center. Local anesthesia for most cases; sedation for larger reconstructions.
Suture Removal
Sutures removed on your area’s standard day — Day 5 for the lip, Day 7 for the face. Mild redness, swelling, and tightness around the new incision are expected. Light cardio is OK at Day 14.
Redness Fades
New incision pink and slightly raised — this is normal scar maturation. Silicone scar gel applied twice daily through this phase. Sun protection critical.
Look and Feel Like a Masterpiece
The revised scar has matured, softened, and blended substantially.
Individual timelines vary. Dr. Truesdale sets realistic, patient-specific expectations during your consultation — not exaggerated claims.
See if Scar Revision is right for you.
See More about Scar Revision & Reconstructive Surgery
Dr. Truesdale on technique, philosophy, and patient stories — from his self-produced Beyond the Surface docuseries and his educational content library.
Scar revision in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Your surgeon
- Dr. Truesdale personally. He plans and performs every revision himself.
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- Local anesthesia alone, or local anesthesia with MAC (monitored anesthesia care) and IV sedation, depending on the revision. Dr. Truesdale decides with you.
- Time in surgery
- About 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the technique.
- Going home
- Back to your hotel or home the same day. With sedation, an adult takes you home and stays with you for the first 72 hours.
- Sutures
- Out on your area’s standard day: Day 5 for the lip, Day 7 for the face. We tell you yours.
- If you travel
- Arrive the day before surgery and plan to stay until your sutures come out, on Day 5 or Day 7 depending on the area.
- Back in public
- Most patients plan on 5 to 10 days before they feel ready to be seen.
- Exercise
- Light cardio at 2 weeks; heavier exercise at about 3 weeks, once Dr. Truesdale clears you.
- Final result
- Full healing takes 3 to 6 months, and the scar keeps fading after that. A scar can be improved, never removed.
The facts patients ask about first. Every plan is personal, so Dr. Truesdale confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on surgery day
Every revision is planned around your scar: where it sits, which way it runs, how deep it is and how it has healed. Here is what the day looks like for you.
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01Before you go in
Every revision is done at True Surgical Center: smaller revisions under local anesthesia, larger reconstructions with sedation. Dr. Truesdale goes over the plan with you before he begins.
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02Choosing the technique
Dr. Truesdale chooses from Z-plasty or W-plasty, which redirect or break up a straight scar along natural skin lines; excision of the old scar; local flaps or skin grafts for larger areas; and laser resurfacing or dermabrasion for texture.
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03Taking tension off the scar
The new incision is closed in layers, with sutures beneath the skin that spread the tension away from the surface, a closure built to lower the chance of a raised scar.
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04If you form keloids
If you have had a keloid or a raised scar before, the plan changes for you from the first day, and can include in-office steroid injections after surgery and silicone scar therapy.
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05Going home
You go home the same day. Clean the incision gently with a Q-tip, soap and water, apply Aquaphor several times a day, and don’t touch, pick or put tension on the incision line.
Keloids and melanin-rich skin · CO2 laser resurfacing for scar texture · Scar care after facial surgery
Scar revision recovery, week by week
This is the same protocol our patients receive in writing before surgery. The detailed instructions below come straight from it, so they change only when Dr. Truesdale changes them.
Swelling and bruising near the new scar, easing over about 6 days; the incision may feel raised and thick while it heals. Sleep on your back with your head raised on 2 to 3 pillows, ice 20 minutes on and 20 off for 5 days to a week, and walk lightly from 24 hours. Sutures out on Day 5 for the lip or Day 7 for the face. No makeup on the incision until the sutures are out.
Start silicone scar gel two days after your sutures come out, twice a day for at least a month. Keep your head raised at night for the full 2 weeks. Light cardio from Day 14.
No rubbing, massaging or tension on the incision for at least 4 weeks. No bending, heavy lifting or straining until 3 weeks; heavier exercise then, once Dr. Truesdale clears you. No hot showers, saunas or jacuzzis for at least a month. SPF 50 daily and limited sun for at least 6 weeks.
The new scar is pink and may be slightly raised; this is normal as it matures. Full healing takes 3 to 6 months, and the scar keeps fading after that. Thickness, pain or itching means call us: an early steroid injection helps prevent a keloid. Follow-ups at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months.
Your detailed instructions
Swelling and bruising near the new scar are normal. The incision may feel raised and thick during healing. Sleep on your back with head elevated on 2–3 pillows for the first 2 weeks. Ice 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off for 5 days to a week. Light walking encouraged after 24 hours.
Gently clean the incision with a Q-tip, soap, and water. Apply Aquaphor multiple times daily. Do not touch, pick, or apply tension to the incision line.
Sutures come out on your area's standard day — Day 5 for the lip, Day 7 for a face-lift scar; we'll tell you yours. No makeup on incisions until sutures are removed. Light cardio may begin at Day 14. Avoid bending, straining, or weightlifting for at least 3 weeks.
Swelling persists ~6 days with gradual reduction. Some dryness, irritation, or mild discomfort may persist.
Avoid rubbing, massaging, or any tension on the incision area for at least 4 weeks. Avoid hot showers, saunas, and jacuzzis for at least 1 month. Avoid sun exposure for at least 6 weeks; apply SPF 50+ sunscreen daily.
Full healing may take 3–6 months. The scar should continue to fade beyond that period.
Full post-operative care guide · Preparing for surgery · Traveling for surgery
Scar revision risks, and how we keep you safe
Every operation carries risk. Dr. Truesdale goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For scar revision, the consent lists:
- Return of the Scar. The scar may come back, widen or thicken; a scar can be improved, never removed.
- Firmness and Sensitivity. Firmness from scar tissue, itching, or sensitivity to temperature is possible.
- Asymmetry. Minor differences between the two sides, or contour irregularity, are possible.
- Seroma. A collection of fluid under the skin (seroma) is possible and may need drainage.
- Longer Scar. The new scar may be longer than the old one.
- Color Change. A change in skin color along the scar is possible.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
How we keep you safe
- Surgery only at True Surgical Center, an AAAHC-accredited surgical center, with a board-certified anesthesiologist whenever sedation is used.
- Medical clearance, and blood-clot risk screening, before surgery with sedation; a revision under local anesthesia alone needs no labs or clearance.
- No nicotine in any form for 3 weeks before surgery and 3 months after.
- Tell us about any keloid or raised scar you have had before: the plan, the technique and the aftercare change for you.
- With sedation, someone with you for the first 72 hours.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · Keloids and melanin-rich skin · Request a consultation
Scar Revision FAQs
Bring your own questions to consultation — Dr. Truesdale personally answers every one. Below are the questions patients ask most often about scar revision.
The strongest candidates have a previous scar (surgical, traumatic, acne, or keloid) that is visible, raised, discolored, or in the wrong orientation. Dr. Truesdale evaluates you personally in consultation and only recommends the procedure when it will genuinely help. If a different approach would serve you better, he’ll tell you that too.
Scar revision does not eliminate scars — it makes them less obvious. A well-revised scar fades into the natural lines and shadows of the face, becoming very difficult to notice. Dr. Truesdale explains realistically what the revision can achieve before any work is planned.
No single technique fits every scar — Dr. Truesdale selects from a full range based on the scar’s orientation, depth, location, and skin quality. The most common techniques include Z-plasty (redirects a scar along natural skin tension lines), W-plasty (breaks a straight scar into a less perceptible zig-zag), local flaps (recruits adjacent healthy tissue to replace scarred skin), full- and split-thickness skin grafts, dermabrasion and CO2/Erbium laser resurfacing (smooth raised or textured scars), serial excision (staged removal of wide scars), tissue expansion, and injectable treatments such as steroid, 5-FU, or filler injections for keloid, hypertrophic, or atrophic scars. The right plan is always individualized to the scar in front of him.
Most patients describe the discomfort as mild to moderate. Most smaller revisions are done under local anesthesia, at True Surgical Center. Dr. Truesdale’s team is available throughout recovery — you are not managing discomfort on your own.
Scar revision can be done under local anesthesia alone, or under local anesthesia with MAC and IV sedation; Dr. Truesdale decides with you. When sedation is used, our surgical procedures utilize a patient-focused anesthesia technique known as MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) and IV Sedation, ensuring your maximum comfort and safety. This method provides a level of gentle, deep sedation comparable to the comfortable experience many patients have during a colonoscopy, which we have found helps make patients less fearful. The anesthesia is administered intravenously and meticulously monitored by a hand-picked group of board-certified anesthesiologists, who are dedicated to your well-being throughout your entire procedure.
Plan on 5–10 days of social downtime. Expect sutures removed at day 5 or 7, depending on the area; initial pinkness fades over 3–6 months. Light cardio resumes at 2 weeks; most patients are cleared for strenuous exercise at about three weeks, at a follow-up visit. Your follow-up appointments along the way are conducted by Dr. Truesdale and our physician assistant, with Dr. Truesdale seeing you personally at the key milestones.
That’s the entire standard Dr. Truesdale designs for. A good scar revision reads as a natural line or shadow — not as a scar. Every patient is evaluated in a seated, relaxed state beforehand so the target is based on your real anatomy — never on an idealized template.
Long-lasting. Once a revised scar has matured, it is stable. A scar can be improved, never removed, and it can come back, widen or thicken; if it becomes thick, painful or itchy, call us: an early steroid injection helps prevent a keloid.
Yes. A significant portion of Dr. Truesdale’s patients travel from across the United States and internationally. The process begins with a virtual consultation with Dr. Truesdale himself (not a coordinator), followed by in-person pre-procedure evaluation. Our patient-care coordinators help arrange travel, accommodations, and local transportation, and Dr. Truesdale’s team conducts virtual follow-ups after you return home.
Request a consultation through the form at the bottom of this page, email contact@doctortruesdale.com, or call (424) 363-4112. Our team responds within one business day to schedule either an in-person consultation at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 360, Beverly Hills, or a virtual consultation worldwide. Every consultation is conducted personally by Dr. Truesdale.
Scar revision can be performed at any adult age. What matters most is scar maturity — Dr. Truesdale generally recommends waiting until the scar is at least 12 months old before a surgical revision, so the final result reflects fully healed tissue rather than an early inflammatory scar.
The cost of scar revision can vary based on the patient’s situation, including if it is a revision surgery and if this surgery will be combined with other surgeries or treatments. The total cost may include the surgeon’s fee, operating room fees, and anesthesia fees. At Truesdale Facial Plastic Surgery, we believe the surgeon’s philosophy and experience, and your comfort with him, are just as important as the final cost of the surgery. We can provide an approximate range for this procedure over the phone, and your patient care coordinator (PCC) will confirm the pricing for you after your consultation with Dr. Truesdale.
Yes. Tell us at your consultation. A history of keloids or raised scars, and melanin-rich skin, make a raised scar more likely, so the plan, the technique and the aftercare change for you, and can include in-office steroid injections after surgery and silicone scar therapy. If a scar becomes thick, painful or itchy, call us: an early steroid injection helps prevent a keloid.
Clean it gently with a Q-tip, soap and water, and apply Aquaphor several times a day. Don’t touch, pick, rub, massage or put tension on it for at least 4 weeks, and avoid hot showers, saunas and jacuzzis for at least a month. No makeup on the incision until your sutures are out.
Apply SPF 50 or higher every day and limit sun exposure for at least 6 weeks, wearing a hat when you can. Sun protection matters while the new scar matures.
Arrive the day before surgery and plan to stay until your sutures come out: Day 5 for the lip, Day 7 for the face. If your revision is done under local anesthesia alone, a virtual follow-up at about a week, with suture removal arranged near home, may be possible; we plan it with you. See traveling for surgery.
The consent you sign lists these possible complications: the scar may come back, widen or thicken (a scar can be improved, never removed); firmness, itching or sensitivity to temperature; differences between the two sides or contour irregularity; a fluid collection (seroma); a new scar longer than the old one; and a change in skin color along the scar. Among the risks of any operation it lists a keloid, more likely if you have had one before: itching, thickening, pain or a growth along the incision means call us right away for a steroid injection. Dr. Truesdale reviews each one with you. See scar revision risks and safety.
Schedule your scar revision consultation
A private, unhurried conversation with Dr. Truesdale personally — never a coordinator. Share your scar’s story, hear honestly what revision can and cannot do for it, and begin the plan to change how it reads on your face. We respond same-day, Monday-Friday.
Book a Surgical Discovery Call online
After clicking the booking link, select “new patient” under Schedule Your Appointment and fill out the form to see our current availability for a Surgical Discovery Call with a Patient Care Coordinator and book immediately. Call us (424) 363-4112 for additional appointment times and information.All times are based on Los Angeles, Pacific Time (PT).
Book Discovery Call →Prefer to share details first? Submit the form and a Patient Care Coordinator will reach out the same business day (Monday–Friday).