Coconut oil & scars...any advice?

Anonymous

I just bought extra virgin coconut oil...I have read that it is beneficial on many levels and used many different ways.  I have just begun trying it out as a moisturizer on my chest & scars.  I had a BMX in Dec and will be going for exchange in 3 weeks. I know my scars will be opened back up again, but in the meantime I am treating my drain scars & stretching skin with it.  I figured if it works I can apply it to the exchange inscision scars when they are healed.

My questions are: If you've used it, how'd you like it? Did it help your scars? Do you just do topical use or cook with it as well?  Any other benefits you noticed from using it?  Would you recommend using something else for scars?

I apologize in advance if this topic is located somewhere else, I scanned back a few pages and didn't see it.  

Thanks!

~Megan

AnneW

I use coconut oil on my face, and I love it. I'm having surgery this week, and as my scars heal, I'll use it on them, too.

In the Reconstruction or Surgery forum there's a thread on "Scar SOS" or some sort. You can search that for some really good hints, too.

Anonymous

thanks for your response AnneW, I will check out the thread you mentioned.  I do love the feel of the cocnut oil so far, I might just have to try it on my face, too! 

dlb823

Hi, Megan ~ Coconut oil is a favorite around here!  I use it on my face and body, as do many women on the "Natural Girls" thread.  There's also a new-ish thread here entitled "Physical Aging Appearance," that talks about it -- not so much for scars, but just as a totally safe moisturizer that works great.    Deanna

Anonymous

Thanks, Deanna - I am actually surfing around the threads now for info and will check out the one you mentioned!  I think that coconut oil might be a keeper, even if not for scarring, just to keep my skin in check!

geewhiz

Hi....I keep a jar by the bathroom sink and in the kitchen too!! I love the stuff. I use it as a total moisturizer, on scars and even rub it in my hands and work a little through my dry hair. I learned about it when I saw an older Indian woman sitting in the sauna at our gym slathering herself with it....I've been hooked since.

snowflower

Hi fire-dancer,

I was told by the surgeon to rub vitamin E oil on the scars so I bought a bottle of it and massage it into the scars a couple times a day. Also Shea butter was recommended to me by a friend who used it with success. I think it's the actual massaging of the scars that helps to bring the blood to heal the skin. Coconut oil sounds like another good choice. I'll give it a try. Thanks for another good option.

 Kim

wannaBnormal

I dont know if it works for scars or not yet but I bought some and am trying it too.  I live in the sticks and had a hard time finding it.  Ended up with "Louana" brand in a white tub, yellow lable.  It's solid until it hits skin, then its very liquid.  It's really for cooking.   I also bought a bit of cold pressed castor oil, and a stick tube of just cocoa butter- (not a cream with it added).  My skin was awful dry and any of the above has helped with that, a little goes a long way though.  I hope it helps for scars but will keep using it for moisture either way.  Before you think I'm nutty with the castor oil (Cayce remedies), thats not why I tried it.  I found a website that rates cosmetic ingredient toxicity and the good old plant based natural ones rated lowest.   I dont know if products I used on my skin had anything to do with where I am at, but figure I dont need to tempt fate either.  The website for skin/cosmetic products is  www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

apple

I found it for a dollar at Walgreens in the hair section.

 I love it.    So does my son who uses it as hair gel.. a little dab will do ya.

Anonymous

Thanks for the responses, ladies!  It's great to hear from all of you about your experiences/scar remedies...

geewhiz - I just bought the tub o' extra virgin organic coconut oil from Whole foods.  I got out of the shower and it melts perfectly between your hands when warmed and its easy to apply.  Hope it will work on these scars, but for now I feel moisturized! :-) 

Anyway, like I mentioned, I go for exchange soon, so I'll just be opened up again along the inscision.  But in the meantime I think I like it for my stretched skin w/tissue expanders...

I've heard the 100% cocoa butter stick is another good one for scars, wannaBnormal...

Kim - I'll have to agrre with you, I imagine just getting the circulation moving around scar tissue is beneficial...maybe I'll try shea butter sometime, bet that's a good one too...

Apple - never thought to look in the hair section - wow it IS versatile! ;-)

When I looked it up online people's testimonials were quite impressive about all of it's uses...I figured even if it doesn't do the trick for the scars, I think my skin overall will appreciate it.  Some people who incorporated it into their diet daily claim their hair, skin, weight loss and overall health was better...interesting... :-)

linn56

It's umm, absolutely amazing for another use, which I learned about here.    If you have any dryness "down there", due to menopause or Tamoxifen use, it is the best possible lubricant. It is much better than anything else I've tried. I bought a big tub at whole foods, because I wanted to make sure there were no additives. I have yet to cook with it, but I'm sure I'll try that someday.

lago

I was using vitamin E oil on my scars. I too like the extra virgin coconut oil but that seems more of a moisturizer/skin softener. The Vitamin E oil seems better for healing. My PE recommended it after my BMX.

Anonymous

I had/have Very BAD scars.  Still after having a 5th surgery just to remove scar tissue.

I had massage from a PT who showed me how to do it myself.  That has helped the :mobility" very much. Most massage therapists know how to work on scar tissue and one that I saw "found" scar tissue the PT did not.

My PS said Mederma was the best gel/cream she knew of.  Also "New Gel" silicone strips were recommended by PS.  She sells them so I don't know if they are available over the counter. A package costs $80.  but you can use the same strip for 60 days.  Just take off when showering and wipe them off and put back on  You can notice a difference in a few days of wearing the "New Gel" strips

Anonymous

I used the Vitamin E oil.  Thought it was so greasy !! 

Anonymous

Linn - ooooh, sounds fun ;-)  ...good to know, thanks for passing that tid bit along!

Lago - I'll keep in mind the vit E, thanks!  I think when it comes down to scarring, I'm def gonna need a new product...but like I said till the exchange I'll keep the skin supple with coconut oil...

Erica - I've seen the Mederma, not the New Gel strips, although they sound worth the price.  I'll see what my PS recommends, so far he is not a fan of treating scars with ANYTHING...he says that with my fair skin my scars will look dark at first, then fade nicely...that is at least in his experience with fair-skinned women like me...here's to hopin'!!! :-)

CrunchyPoodleMama

Coconut oil is half of my formula for getting rid of scars -- iodine being the other half of the formula! Iodine (applied topically) works fantastic for regenerating new skin where the scar tissue was... but it can cause drying and peeling, so coconut oil is the perfect companion to it.

I won't use Mederma because it has parabens in it. I used to use it on some minor stretch marks on my boobs and have often wondered if that had something to do with my cancer dx.

wannaBnormal

Question about the iodine, are you using the dark liquid stuff like my grandmother had in the medicine cabinet?   I'm having some strange skin issues with expanders and anything regenerating is sounding good about now.

leggo

Swedish Bitters works very well on scars.

Edited to add: the fresher the scar the better the results.

JeninMichigan

I use extra virgin organic coconut oil on my face and my scars and my radiation areas.   I love it.  My naturalist did my scan and said asked me about coconut and said that it agrees very well with my body.

Jennifer

FireKracker

I use the organic,unrefined cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil on my face and body every dayy.ALSO i cook with it and take a teaspoon daily for my sick stomach.IT WORKS.just love the stuff .it must be kept at room temp and melts at 70 deg.My apt.is hot so i keep it on the window sil.its put out by NUTIVA.gonna start to use it under my arm where i had the lumpectomy.never thought of that.

CrunchyPoodleMama

wannaBhealthy, yes, you can use that kind... I use a kind called Lugol's, because it can also be taken orally, not just topically (iodine taken orally doesn't work on scars, but it's great for overall breast and thyroid health).

grannydukes, I love eating organic coconut oil too! Mmmm, I might have to go eat a teaspoon right now!!

Anonymous

crunchy - what do you notice about eating a teaspoon of coconut oil?  What do you mix the teaspoon with?  I'm intrigued and might try it, I just want to see how the benefits outweigh the "idea" of ingesting a teaspoon of a high-fat (even though I DO understand it is a good fat, just my weird thinking ;-) 

also, what do you usually cook with it? I imagine veggies & chicken mix well...I have to look up some recipes to try and incorporate it into the family's diet!

I am definitley switching over my usual "beauty" ;-) regimine, which was pretty all-natural to begin with, to the coconut oil for a while to see what happens

I am definitley going to look into the iodine more for after exchange, I would LOVE to have super-faint scars someday!

CrunchyPoodleMama

fire-dancer - LOL, I completely "get" that. I was militantly no-fat/low-fat all through my teens and 20's (even when I was a kid and my mom served breakfast, I sat there and picked all the fat off the bacon because the idea of eating something that was pure fat gave me the heebie-jeebies!).

But weirdly, I really really like my teaspoon of organic coconut oil. I don't mix anything into it; I just eat it straight! I first tried this a few years ago after joining a raw vegan community (for the record, I am NOT a raw vegan anymore and believe veganism leaves people sorely lacking in nutrients and vulnerable to cancer and other problems). There are a lot of health benefits (at the time I was eating a lot of it -- 2-3 huge spoonfuls a day! -- it helped me lose weight and rev up my metabolism), so if it didn't taste so darn good when eaten straight, I'd make a point to cook with it every day (e.g., put it in smoothies, use it in stir-fries instead of olive oil since coconut oil is heat-stable, etc.).

Caya

I have used coconut oil for vaginal atrophy - morning and night, every day.  Just insert a clump of it as far as you can - helps the dryness alot.  I do wear a panty liner, as it can leak a bit, but the benefit is worth it. 

deborye

Coconut oil is the best.  I love the smell.

Anonymous

I love how versatile coconut oil is and how many benefits there are from it...

...I have been using it for a week straight head to toe, and have noticed already that my hairline which was suffering from dry scalp has already subsided! (I've been lightly massaging it in right along my hairline at night)  I was so happy about that, I was NOT a fan of the winter flaking ;-) ...now to just incorporate it into my diet...

NCkickphyllodes

I am so glad to hear about the vaginal use. I'm starting to have the dryness issue. Had never thought of that! I just started the iodine/coconut oil combo this morning. I am very intrigued by the iodine theory, which was first explained to me by a friend. I have always had cysts in my breasts, so would like to use this to maybe get rid of the rest of them. Don't need anything else to turn cancerous!

I was afraid to use the coconut oil on my face as I thought it might be a bit greasy, but may give it a try.

I cook with coconut oil a lot. I usually use it for stir fry dishes. It tastes great and is so good for you. I have even put a little on toast instead of butter, but the taste is so delicate, that I think I still prefer to put it in other dishes. You can use it instead of EVOO and see what you think.  

Spinnerpom

I don't know about scars but I have been using extra virgin coconut oil on my skin and in cooking for years. I am in week 2 of rads and apply onto my breast each night before bed. It also helped my kids' eczema greatly. I love slathering it on my feet at bedtime, covered with some thin cotton socks. For cooking, just replace butter with it. I love it on rice, toast, melted onto fish...it is high in saturated fat but can actually raise your good cholesterol. Be sure to buy extra virgin, non-hydrogenated! I always dab a little under my eyes and on my lips each night before bed. Hadn't heard or thought about using it as a lubricant, but it smells and tastes relish....just sayin'. :-)

Cat123

I have heard that coconut oil helps hair to grow faster......have to start rubbing it in!

bexybexy

CrunchyPood I am sorry I have to take issue with what you said about vegans. I have been vegan for 10 years and do not attribute this in anyway with my breast cancer. Frankly I find that offensive and upsetting. You are perpetuating the myth that vegans "lack in nutrition" "Live on french fries" etc and I am sick of it! I am sick of people asking me where I get my calcium from (same place cows get theirs I reply) or where do you get your protein from? (there is more protein in beans, pulses, nuts, lentils etc than people realise) I had a whole series of tests done before my op and they came back glowing. I don't smoke, rarely drink and get all my nutrients from plant sources. Low cholesterol, perfect blood pressure, body weight fine, vitamin B12 levels perfect, in fact the only thing that showed up is I have slightly elevated iron levels in my body! Not something the stereotypical vegan is meant to have according to society we should all be anemic and undernourished! My hair is down to my waist and keeps growing and I have long nails and healthy skin! Please do some research before making comments like this. There are millions of vegans worldwide who do not have cancer and never will, just as there are countless red meat eating alchohol guzzling smokers who do!

lago

I found that coconut oil was nice on the skin but it didn't do much for the scars. Vitamin E oil help soften and flatten them (used that after BMX). I used the Mederma after the exchange and wasn't impressed. I'm using cocobutter (after nipple recon and revision). I don't know if it's working but I love smelling like a rich chocolate bar.

My PS recommends all of these but then said that it might only help about 10%. It's really time that helps the scars fade. Some of us take longer than others. I think I"m on the 2+ year plan.

BTW I'm not vegan or vegetarian but I never heard their diet put them in a high risk for cancer. I would think just the opposite as long as they kept their weight down, didn't smoke or drink a lot. (Yes this group can over eat just like us meat eating folks).