Not Fade Away

Some words in our English language have taken on a meaning of their own, not reflecting the original intent, but rather a wish for quality that completely changes the communication . Such a word is “fade”. As a plastic surgeon, who cares for as well as creates scars, I explain to patients that their wounds re-model and mature over time and the end result is a scar that has transformed itself from a red, raised, hard appearance to a normal color, flat and soft presentation. This process in effect “fades” the scar, making it less visible, but certainly does not make the scar disappear! The scar is always present but less visible and therefore more acceptable.” Fade” does not mean “gone”.