What Will My Scar Look Like?
Real, healed surgical scars from Dr. Gomoll's knee patients — across ACL reconstruction techniques, HTO, MISHA, TTO, cartilage transplant, and combined procedures.
Most patients are curious about what their incision will look like once healed. Below are real photos from Dr. Gomoll's patients across the most common knee procedures — ACL reconstruction (BTB, Quad Autograft, Allograft, BEAR), high tibial osteotomy (HTO), MISHA implant, and combined patellar procedures (TTO + MACI + MPFL). Final appearance varies by skin type, age, and time since surgery.
Healed surgical scars
Each photo is labeled with the procedure performed. For more detail on the procedures themselves, see our surgical treatments overview or the cartilage repair and meniscal procedures pages.
What affects scar appearance
Scar appearance depends on several factors — most of which are not under Dr. Gomoll's control:
- Your individual skin type and tendency to form keloid or hypertrophic scars
- Age and overall skin health
- Time since surgery — most scars continue to fade for 12–18 months
- Sun exposure on the healing incision (use sunscreen on the scar for the first year)
- Whether you followed wound-care instructions in the early post-op period — see our after-surgery instructions for the showering and submersion timeline
If you have specific concerns about scarring, raise them at your pre-op consultation with Dr. Gomoll.