z plasty

My husband has been put on a waiting list for z plasty. He has a scar from directly under his left ear that runs along his check.He is quite worried about the surgery incase it looks worse. We have searched on the internet for pictures of people with scars in the same position that have had this surgery but cant find any pictures. can you show us any

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

The idea behind a z-plasty is to break up a linear scar and change the direction of the scar to line within the natural lines of the face (so-called resting skin tension lines).  The best place to review this procedure and perhaps see photos of results is to examine standard plastic surgery text books.  I would see if your physician can help you with this.