Appendix scars can sometimes appear very indented or retracted. This is most likely due to scar tissue pulling the incision line in. Occasionally the fat above that may appear like an overhang.
If the procedure was done as an emergency the then the surgeon may have been less meticulous in opening and closing the incision.
Nowadays most are done as key-hole surgery so there are only a few tiny scars.
These retracted scars can be improved by releasing the scar tissue and sometimes infiltrating some fat to prevent the scar tissue from re-attaching. This can be done under local anaesthetic or with sedation as a day case.
Some surgeons prefer to excise (cut out) the old scar and re-stitch the tissue.
The results are very consistent and improve the appearance of the scar.
There is however a small risk that the scar may retract again.
This technique can be used with any retracted scar – caesarean scar, appendix scar, laparotomy scar, inguinal hernia scar.
The image above shows a caesarean scar which retracted after the same incision was used for numerous sections. The scar was released and a small amount of fat was injected
The patient had an injection into her buttocks as a child and this resulted in a scar retraction. This was released and a small amount of fat injected to fill the defect.