How do you handle scars?

Anonymous

For as long as I can remember, cocoa butter was the "salve of choice" whenever someone in the family (heck - friends, co-workers and classmates, too) got a cut, scrape or boo-boo that might leave a mark. Skin your knee? Band-aid then cocoa butter as soon as it scabbed over. Burn your arm? Cocoa butter. Knick your leg shaving? Cocoa butter. So of course as soon as my mastectomy scars healed, I was rubbing the stuff on like there was no tomorrow...

I'm not sure if it was the nature of the scars (an awful lot of surface area that grew even bigger due to the expansion process) or that I've had so many more since (due to reconstruction), but the cocoa butter doesn't seem to be working like it used to. Plus, from the IGAP I had this summer, a few of the scars on my breasts are raised and RED - almost keloid - which I've never had before (usually, they are flat and dark brown).

Anyone else notice a change in the effectiveness of cocoa butter? Is the formula different than when I was little or are my marks and scars just more stubborn now that I've aged? Does cocoa butter work on raised scars? Anyone use anything different on scars and get noticible results?

shorfi

I have a huge scar from my port being removed. It is not keloid, but something they call hyperkeratosis. I have had surgery to remove it, but it came back about a month later. I have used scar removal cream, cocoa butter (not like it used to be)...I agree with you on that.

But you know what, now I look at my scar as being a "warrior" scar, and that I was in battle with the beast and I conquered

Anonymous

Hey,

I used vitamin E and it worked very well on my mastectomy scar ..

nothing worked on my port scar, it kept pulling (I have heavy breast)..but the vitamin E ..oil form worked wonders. (that is what my plastic surgeon told me to use ,I was going to get reconstruction before complications) Hope it helps.

Benita

CurlyKatFL

Vitamin E oil worked great for me.

Anonymous

Vitamin E didn't do much for me (not really sure about that, though. I used it for two years on the mastectomy scars and they started to fade a bit, but it could have been from time; I had the IGAP shortly after, so the scars and tissue that used to be there are now gone).



During rads, I used a combination of aquafor (at night), vitamin E oil (in the morning) and substituted cocoa butter for aquafor once rads were done. Kinda scared to keep up with that chemical cocktail! I might explode, lol...

pnut2

i have been using burts bees vitamin e oil on my mastecomy sights. it has helped soften it. my worry is i have a inside scar(keloid) on my left mastectomy sight. my surgeon said it will go down in due time. hopefully by the time i have reconstruction surgery it will have shrunken. long warm showers have helped with the pain from it.       my healing has been pretty slow due to a strong ac treatment. i was told my surgery sight will start to look a whole lot better after chemo is done. thank goodness chemo is finished!! now for the proper healing to start.

msannie57

ReJuvess and Scar Less are a couple of products that some women have used for this type of scarring.  They both have website info.  Think about asking for a plastic surgery referral--they can discuss these topical products and revision surgery.  Not that anyone wants more surgery but if it's bothering you it's worth getting an opinion on what might help.

snowyday

If your prone to keloids a friend of mine who had some major scars from her Harley accident told me to wiggle them, move them, massage them, she said it prevents the scar tissue from building up. And vit e oil.  It's worked for me.  Pearl