AVA Journal

Facelift Revision ② Widened Scars: Why Cutting Out the Scar Alone Makes It Bigger

Dr. Seungsoo Kim2026-09-155 min read

Key Clinical Takeaways (TL;DR)

Widened facelift scars in front of or behind the ear are caused by excessive closure tension placed on the skin.
Simply excising the wide scar and sewing the skin back together increases tension further, causing an even wider scar.
True scar revision requires deep SMAS re-elevation so the skin edges meet with zero tension along the natural tragal contour.

Planning a facelift in Seoul? Explore our Facelift in Korea: surgery, recovery and before-and-after cases.

After a facelift, has the scar in front of or behind your ear healed as a wide, visible band rather than a thin line, or stayed noticeably red? And have you ever thought that the fix might simply be cutting out that scar and re-stitching it?

The short answer is that this can actually be a risky choice.

This is the second post in the facelift revision series, covering why facelift scars widen and why "just cutting out the scar" doesn't solve the problem, from a plastic surgeon's perspective. It shares the same underlying cause as the pixie ear issue covered in Part 1.

Why do scars widen?

The key factor is the same as in the last post: whether tension is landing on the skin itself.

A facelift works by lifting the SMAS, the deep supportive layer beneath the skin, so that the SMAS bears the weight that gravity would otherwise pull downward. When this principle is followed properly, almost no pulling force reaches the skin incision, and the scar heals as a thin line.

But if the SMAS doesn't adequately absorb that force, the tension lands directly on the skin incision instead.

As the incision heals, the line keeps getting pulled from both sides, which is what causes it to widen and become raised and visible.

Why is "just cutting out the scar" risky?

The most unfortunate scenario is treating a widened scar by simply cutting out the scarred portion and re-stitching it. I strongly advise against this approach.

The root cause of a widened scar is tension on the skin. If that tension is left unaddressed and only the skin is re-cut and closed, the exact same tension lands on the new incision line. The result isn't just a bigger scar. It makes the problem significantly harder to fix going forward.

If the original surgery didn't lift enough and left some slack in the skin, the scar itself might look somewhat improved in isolation. But that's really just re-cutting the skin without properly addressing the underlying lift. The face is still sagging, and now there's simply a longer visible scar on top of it. There's no way a patient would be satisfied with that outcome.

So how should this actually be corrected?

The direction is clear. The goal isn't to erase the scar, but to reverse the underlying cause that created it.

Properly correcting a widened scar means accurately identifying the cause again, addressing it at the source, and using every available means to eliminate the tension being transmitted to the skin. In practice, that means a proper facelift revision is essentially the only real option.

In a revision, the SMAS is dissected thoroughly once more and repositioned correctly, which eliminates the tension that was pulling on the skin in the first place. Once that tension has been fully resolved and the widened scar is revised and closed, the result can be refined down to a faint mark that's difficult to notice in everyday life.

Depending on the individual case, fully releasing the tension on the skin may require fairly extensive dissection. That's why scar reconstruction isn't a procedure focused narrowly on the scar itself, but one that reassesses the structure of the entire face.

Even a widened scar, once its underlying cause is properly addressed, can end up healing this faintly.

Revision surgery requires more precision than the first procedure

Reopening tissue that has already been dissected once and has developed scarring requires a level of precision in dissection and structural repair well beyond a first facelift. That's why reconstruction always starts with an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause.

Reception lobby at AVA Plastic Surgery, Sinsa Station, Gangnam, Seoul

If you've been left with a widened scar after a facelift performed elsewhere, it's worth getting an accurate diagnosis of the cause before having any further work done on the scar itself. Taking the wrong approach can make it significantly harder to correct later on.

At AVA Plastic Surgery, Dr. Seungsoo Kim personally oversees every case from consultation through surgery and recovery.

Dr. Seungsoo Kim, Chief Director and Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon at AVA Plastic Surgery

📍 AVA Plastic Surgery Clinic · 4F Insung Building, 603 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (1-min walk from Sinsa Station Exit 4)

🕙 Weekdays 10:00 AM–7:00 PM · Sat 10:00 AM–5:00 PM · Closed Sundays and public holidays

📞 Reservations & consultations: 02-545-1882

🔗 Website

Book Your 1:1 Consultation with Dr. Seungsoo Kim

Whether you are flying in from overseas or living in Korea, Dr. Seungsoo Kim personally oversees every step from initial consultation to surgery and recovery:

📍 AVA Plastic Surgery · 4F Insung Building, 603 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (1-min walk from Sinsa Station Exit 4) · TEL +82 2-545-1882
※ Surgical & Consultation Notice: 1:1 Zoom video consultations provide a preliminary educational assessment; final surgical candidacy and operative plans are confirmed through an in-person clinical examination by Dr. Seungsoo Kim in Seoul. Post-operative complications such as bleeding, infection, swelling, scarring, asymmetry, or sensory changes may occur, and results and recovery vary by individual.

Frequently Asked Clinical Questions (FAQ)

Q. Why does cutting out a widened facelift scar alone make it come back wider?

Because the skin was already stretched under tension, removing another strip of scar tissue without advancing the deeper SMAS layer forces the wound edges together under even greater pull.

Q. How does deep SMAS re-fixation solve widened preauricular scars?

By releasing and re-anchoring the deep SMAS layer superiorly, the overlying skin naturally shifts toward the ear with slack, allowing tension-free dermal closure after scar excision.

Q. Can flattened tragus cartilage or displaced sideburns be corrected at the same time?

Yes. Relieving skin tension allows Dr. Kim to recreate the natural pre-tragal depression and reposition displaced hairline borders during the same revision procedure.

Facelift consultation in Seoul, Korea

Visit AVA Plastic Surgery near Exit 4 of Sinsa Station, on Gangnam-daero in Seoul. Our clinic is on the 4th floor of Inseong Building, 603 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu. A facelift consultation covers your concerns, previous treatments and recovery plans, including arrangements for your stay in Korea.

Facelift surgery in Korea Meet Dr. Kim Directions to Sinsa Station clinic Request a facelift consultation

Dr. Seungsoo KimBoard-certified plastic surgeon · AVA Plastic Surgery, Seoul · 6 international journal publications

Weekdays	AM 10:00 ~ PM 07:00
Saturday	AM 10:00 ~ PM 05:00
Sunday	Closed

Facelift Revision ② Widened Scars: Why Cutting Out the Scar Alone Makes It Bigger

Book Your 1:1 Consultation with Dr. Seungsoo Kim

Frequently Asked Clinical Questions (FAQ)

Facelift consultation in Seoul, Korea

Related procedures

Recommended Related Columns by Dr. Seungsoo Kim

Dr. Seungsoo Kim’s Facelift 101: SMAS Deep-Plane Method, Recovery & vs. Thread Lifting

Mini SMAS Facelift vs. Full Dual-Deep Plane Facelift — Two-Axis Anatomical Guide to Extent, Plane & Recovery

Neck Lift (Platysmaplasty) vs. Double-Chin Liposuction — Bands, Deep Fat & Neck Lines