Contact & raised scar assessment

If you are worried now

Contact your treating team and describe what you see. If the scar is growing beyond the edges of the original wound, if there is redness with heat, swelling or discharge, if a wound has opened, or if a scar is tightening across a joint or pulling on an eyelid or lip, say so directly rather than waiting for a review appointment. This website is not an emergency channel and is not monitored as one.

When to come in

A scar that is settling is reviewed at the interval your team planned. A scar with one of the findings above is seen promptly rather than at a planned review. If you are unsure which you are looking at, describe it on the telephone and let the team decide, rather than deciding for yourself that it can wait until the next appointment.

What to bring

Bring any record of the operation — what was done, when, and how the wound healed — and a list of your medication. Bring the photographs you have taken over the weeks since the operation, dated, because a series shows the direction a scar is moving in and a single photograph does not. If you do not know what the operation note says, say so.

What the assessment covers

The examination records the site and direction of the scar, its length and width, its height above the surrounding skin, its colour and firmness, whether it is tethered to the tissue beneath, whether it has stayed within the original wound, and what symptoms you have. You should leave with clear answers: whether this is a scar that is maturing or one that needs treating, what the plan is, and when it will be reviewed.

Fees, records and privacy

This site does not quote prices or dosages, because the plan depends on the findings and is discussed directly at consultation. What was seen and what was advised is documented so that the record follows you, and photographs taken at each visit are what allow a scar to be compared rather than remembered. Clinical photographs are not published or used for teaching without a separate consent you are free to refuse.