Facial scar assessment and challenges for the future.

Samenvatting en discussie (Summary and discussion in Dutch) PhD portfolio Curriculum Vitae Bibliography Dankwoord (Acknowledgements) With great interest we have read the paper of Hoogewerf et al. [1] , who stated that the face is central to our identity and provides our most expressive means of communication. We absolutely agree to this statement. The treatment of facial burns aims to restore both aesthetics and the function of the face. Scar tissue is usually distinguished from normal skin by colour, increased thickness, irregular surface and poor functional quality, caused by loss of pliability and due to contraction. All different scar features are relevant and attribute to the quality of a scar. Therefore, an ideal assessment of a scar should include both subjective and objective aspects [2]. Scar assessment scales are frequently used to generate a systematic judgement by observers on the overall scar quality. A judgement by the patient is obligatory, because complaints and cosmetic disfigurement caused by scars may lead patients to suffer from psychological problems, which in turn result in a decreased quality of life. With the introduction of the POSAS a scar assessment instrument became available for both self