Call today! 813.949.3300
Call today! 813.949.3300
A Kenalog® injection is a non-surgical, anti-inflammatory injection that improves raised scars — including injury scars, surgical scars, hypertrophic scars and keloids. Kenalog® is a brand of triamcinolone acetonide (a corticosteroid) placed directly into the scar to calm the overgrown collagen, so the scar flattens and softens and darker scars often lighten. At Nu Image Medspa in Lutz, FL (3939 Cheval Blvd, off N Dale Mabry Hwy near Cheval), it’s administered by a Diamond-status injector with 20+ years of experience.
The injection takes only a few minutes, has no downtime, and improvement is usually visible a few weeks after the first injection. Most raised scars are treated as a short series, with sessions spaced about 3–4 weeks apart. Serving Lutz, Cheval, Carrollwood, Northdale, Odessa and Land O’ Lakes. Call 813.949.3300.
Raised scars and keloids aren’t spread evenly across the country — they track skin type. The stretch of North Tampa along the Dale Mabry and Cheval corridor is one of the more diverse parts of the Bay area, and keloids are far more common in deeper skin tones — Black, Hispanic, Mediterranean and Asian skin especially. So a treatment built specifically for raised scars in Lutz, FL isn’t a niche add-on around here; there’s a real, steady local need for it, and a real local risk of doing it badly.
Then there’s the sun — and for scars, it does something different than it does to wrinkles. A healing or already-raised scar that catches a lot of Florida UV doesn’t just sit there; it darkens. Sunlight drives extra pigment into the scar, so a keloid on a shoulder, chest or ear that might fade quietly in a cloudier state instead turns dark and obvious here. That’s squarely the kind of scar a Kenalog® injection targets — flattening it and, in many darker scars, helping the color settle — which is also why treating early, before a full Florida summer locks the pigment in, tends to pay off more in this climate.
The other thing about the Bay area is that there’s no winter to hide under. In a climate built around tank tops, swimsuits and the outdoors year-round, a raised red keloid on an ear, the chest, the jaw, or along a C-section or surgery line is on display all twelve months — no sweaters, no scarves, nowhere for it to disappear. Add the sheer volume of small wounds an active Tampa Bay life produces — sports, the water, and a region that’s a genuine hub for cosmetic surgery, where every incision is a potential raised scar — and the demand to calm and flatten these scars stays constant.
Raised scars and keloids aren’t only a cosmetic issue. They itch, sting, feel tight, and catch on clothing, seatbelts and jewelry. One of the first things people notice after a Kenalog® injection isn’t the look at all — it’s that the scar finally stops bothering them. Easing that day-to-day irritation is a big part of why we treat them.
A raised scar is, at its core, a collagen problem: as the wound heals, the body overproduces and piles up collagen, so the scar grows up and out instead of settling flat. Kenalog® (triamcinolone acetonide) is a corticosteroid that does one job extremely well — it quiets that overactive inflammation and collagen production from the inside. Placed with a fine needle directly into the firm scar tissue, it lets the scar gradually soften, flatten, fade and stop itching.
Stubborn scars rarely surrender to a single shot. Kenalog® works best as a short series, with visits spaced roughly 3–4 weeks apart so the injector can see how the scar is responding and adjust the next dose. Many keloids and hypertrophic scars improve meaningfully over a handful of sessions; improvement usually starts to show a few weeks after that first injection, with the comfort gains (less itch, less sting) often arriving before the visible flattening.
Some keloids are simply steroid-stubborn, and we’ll tell you if yours looks that way rather than sell you an endless series. For those, Kenalog® is often layered with other tools — silicone, pressure, or, once the scar is flat and calm, resurfacing to refine leftover texture and color.
If a scar has left pitted or sunken texture rather than a raised ridge, that’s a different problem better suited to Fraxel® laser resurfacing or microneedling (or microneedling with PRP), and lingering redness or brown discoloration can be softened with an IPL photofacial. For the separate problem of deep, painful cystic-acne bumps, a lighter cortisone spot-treatment injection is the better-matched option.
An Honest Note
Kenalog® is the long-established first-line treatment for raised scars, but no scar treatment is a guarantee — a portion of keloids resist steroids or can recur, and results vary with the scar’s age, size and your skin. We’d rather set a realistic expectation up front than overpromise. Your consultation includes a straight answer about what Kenalog® can and can’t do for your particular scar.
| Best for | Raised scars — keloids, hypertrophic scars, thickened surgical/C-section lines, raised injury & burn scars, ear & earlobe keloids |
|---|---|
| What it is | Kenalog® (triamcinolone acetonide) — a corticosteroid injected directly into the scar |
| How it works | Calms overactive collagen & inflammation so the scar flattens, softens & fades; darker scars often lighten |
| Sessions | Usually a short series · spaced ~3–4 weeks apart |
| Results appear | A few weeks after the first injection · builds across the series |
| Typical cost (Lutz) | $120 per session · varies by scar size/number · see monthly specials |
| Downtime | None — back to work, errands or golf the same day |
| Injected by | Licensed, Diamond-status injector · 20+ years’ experience |
Pricing is approximate and confirmed at your complimentary consultation. The number of sessions varies by scar type, size and response. Ask about current specials and flexible payment plans.
Kenalog® is for scars that sit up — raised, firm, thickened. Common candidates include:
Scars that grow beyond the original wound and keep going. The signature use for Kenalog® — softening, flattening and calming the keloid over a series.
First-line treatment
The classic piercing keloid on the lobe or cartilage. Small, awkward to live with, and very responsive to targeted injection.
Common request
Raised, red, often itchy scars that stay within the wound’s borders. Kenalog® flattens the ridge and eases the itch.
Flatten & soften
Thickened incision lines from surgery or delivery that healed raised. Kenalog® helps calm and level the line.
Incision lines
Raised scars left by cuts, accidents or burns. Treated to reduce thickness, tightness and irritation.
Trauma scars
Sunken or pitted scars need resurfacing instead — Fraxel® or microneedling. Cystic acne? A cortisone spot treatment.
Not sure whether your scar is a candidate for Kenalog®? A quick consultation gives you a straight answer — with the plan and pricing confirmed up front.
Surgical removal cuts the scar away — but keloids especially have a strong tendency to grow back after excision, sometimes larger, which is why surgeons usually inject the site anyway. For most raised scars, a Kenalog® injection is the no-scalpel, no-downtime first move. If a scar truly needs more, we’ll tell you honestly — and the injection often becomes part of that plan, not a competitor to it.
| Kenalog® Injection | Surgical Excision | |
|---|---|---|
| Downtime | None | Weeks |
| Approach | No cutting | Incision |
| Keloid recurrence | Lower | Higher (excision alone) |
| Cost | From ~$120 / session | $$$$ |
A Kenalog® injection isn’t about artistry — it’s about not trading one problem for another. Push the concentration too high or place it too shallow and the same steroid that should flatten the scar can thin the skin into a dent (atrophy), raise tiny surface vessels (telangiectasia), or lighten the skin around it — and on the deeper skin tones most prone to keloids in the first place, a pale patch can read as loudly as the scar once did. Use too little and the scar shrugs it off and keeps growing. The safe, effective dose lives in a narrow band that shifts with the scar’s age, thickness, body site and your skin tone.
That judgment is earned, not memorized. It comes from 20+ years of watching how a particular scar on a particular skin type actually responds — which is what our injector’s Diamond status and 4.7-star record reflect. It’s also what lets us tell you, before the first injection, how your scar is likely to behave — and how to flatten it without leaving a mark where it used to be.
We assess the scar’s type, thickness and your skin tone, then plan the concentration, dose and number of sessions.
A few minutes with a fine needle straight into the scar. A quick sting or pressure — no anesthesia needed.
No downtime. Avoid rubbing the area for the rest of the day; mild soreness or swelling settles fast.
Itch and sting ease first; flattening follows over weeks. We reassess and re-treat about every 3–4 weeks.
We’re centrally located on Cheval Blvd, an easy drive from across the area. Tap your neighborhood for directions and local details.
Directions from Cheval →
Directions from Northdale →
Directions from Odessa →
Directions from Carrollwood →
Directions from Land O’ Lakes →
Drive times are approximate — check live directions for your exact route. Free on-site parking at 3939 Cheval Blvd, Lutz, FL 33558.
A Kenalog® injection is a non-surgical, anti-inflammatory injection used to improve raised scars — injury scars, surgical scars, hypertrophic scars and keloids. Kenalog® is a brand of triamcinolone acetonide (a corticosteroid) placed directly into the scar with a fine needle. It calms the overactive collagen that makes the scar pile up, so the scar flattens and softens; darker scars often lighten too. Improvement is usually visible a few weeks after the first injection, and most scars are treated as a short series.
It’s priced per session by the size and number of scars treated, which makes it one of our more affordable treatments — a single small scar often runs about $120 per visit. Because most raised scars need a short series, your full plan and price are confirmed at your complimentary consultation, and we run new specials every month. Ask about payment plans if you’re treating a larger or multiple scars.
Kenalog® is most effective on raised scars: keloids (including ear and earlobe keloids from piercings), hypertrophic scars, thickened surgical or C-section lines, and raised injury or burn scars. It’s not used to fill sunken or pitted scars — those respond better to Fraxel® or microneedling. At your consultation we confirm whether your scar is a good candidate.
Most raised scars need a planned series rather than a single shot. Sessions are typically spaced about 3–4 weeks apart, and many keloids and hypertrophic scars improve meaningfully over roughly three to six visits, depending on the scar’s age, thickness and how it responds. Your injector maps the expected number of sessions at your consultation and reassesses each visit.
No downtime. The injection takes only a few minutes and feels like a quick sting or pressure as the medication enters the firm scar tissue; most clients head straight back to work, errands or a round of golf. You may have brief soreness, mild swelling or temporary lightening at the site. Just avoid rubbing the area for the rest of the day.
Kenalog® is well established and generally well tolerated, but because it’s a potent steroid the main local risks are thinning or a small depression in the skin (atrophy), tiny surface blood vessels (telangiectasia), and lightening around the scar (hypopigmentation) — which can be more noticeable on deeper skin tones. These are largely tied to dose and placement, which is exactly why a Diamond-status injector who calibrates concentration and depth to your scar and skin tone matters so much. Effects are usually mild and often reversible.
Most people notice improvement a few weeks after the first injection — usually the itching and tenderness ease first, followed by visible flattening and softening. The full result builds across the series. Color change, including lightening of darker scars, tends to develop more gradually.
For most raised scars and keloids, a Kenalog® injection is the first-line option: non-surgical, no downtime, and it flattens and calms the scar over a short series. Surgical removal cuts the scar out, but keloids in particular tend to grow back after excision — often larger — which is why surgery is usually paired with injections anyway. At your Lutz consultation we give you an honest assessment of which path, or combination, fits your scar.
We’re at 3939 Cheval Blvd, Lutz, FL 33558, just off N Dale Mabry Hwy near Cheval, Steinbrenner High School and Gaither High School — serving Lutz, Carrollwood, Northdale, Cheval, Odessa and Land O’ Lakes. Free on-site parking. Call 813.949.3300 to book.