Scars can be a conversation starter, but for many people, they’d rather minimize the appearance of a surgical scar than highlight it. An incision site on your foot or ankle isn’t in the most prominent location on your body, but if you still want to do what you can to decrease its visibility, you’ll want to take a couple of key steps after your operation. In today’s blog, we share some tips for minimizing the appearance of your surgical scar after foot or ankle surgery.
Tips For Reducing Scar Visibility
If you keep these tips in mind and trust your surgery to a skilled orthopedic specialist like Dr. Silverman who can ensure the procedure and aftercare is performed correctly, you’ll be giving yourself a better chance of being pleased with your scar’s final appearance. Here’s what we recommend:
Pursue Laparoscopic Surgery – Laparoscopic surgery, oftentimes referred to as minimally invasive surgery, is carried out with special tools that allow the surgeon to conduct the operation without making a large incision. A thin device is inserted into a small opening which then relays a live feed of the area to a screen inside the operating room, allowing the surgeon to perform the necessary movements without directly visualizing the site. This greatly reduces the size of the surgical incision, which in turn makes it more likely that the scars will be less visible.
Keep The Area Dry – Follow your doctor’s instructions in terms of bathing or getting the wound site wet after your operation, but typically they’ll want you to keep the area dry. Failing to keep the incision site dry or allowing it to get wet can prolong healing or lead to wound reopening, both of which can lead to a more pronounced appearance on your skin.
Leave It Alone – It may be tempting to scratch the area or pick at a scab, but that’s going to act as another type of trauma on the wound site that will cause redness, inflammation and require additional healing. If you truly want to minimize the appearance of a scar, leave the area alone unless you’re cleaning the area or changing your dressing.
Stay Out Of The Sun – We want you to be up and active as it pertains to your rehab instructions, but you may want to avoid exposing your surgical incision to an extended period of direct sunlight. Fresh scars are more vulnerable to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which can cause them to take on a more pigmented appearance. For up to a year after your surgery, you’ll want to be a little mindful of exposing your scar site to too much direct sunlight.
If you keep these tips in mind and you follow your doctor’s individualized advice, we’re confident that you’ll be happy with how your post-op incision site heals. For more information, or for help managing a new or existing foot or ankle injury, reach out to Dr. Silverman and the team at Silverman Ankle & Foot today at (952) 224-8500.
