Skin S.O.S. - Scar Remedies

I agree, Sciencegal, I'm now at the stage to deal with the scars, thanks for making this current! It's amazing how on BCO when I need to learn something, it just appears!

Hi Ladies. I just thought I'd give a little feedback about a couple things I've tried for hypertropic scars. I tried the Tropol Active cream. To be honest, it made my scars darker. I tried it on other normal scars on different parts of my body and the same thing happened. Hope it works for everyone else, but I did not have good results. I did go for the laser treatments that are for removing tattoos & red coloration from scars. The first treatment worked great! and I saw improvements after it healed in a month, but the second treatment (which she increased the strength) did not help. It made them redder. So I would consider going back for another treatment at the lower strength. Because of the BMX and loss of feeling, I assumed I wouldn't feel anything. I think because the hypertropic scars have nerves, I felt more than I thought, but not bad at all. At the higher strength, it felt like a sparkler hitting the areas around the scars, so I did feel some of that on my upper torso of normal skin. Just like the 4th of July:) It's definitely worth looking into. I did use the silicone strips after all of my surgeries. They did help for the time I used them. But, I found it a pain to cut, wash & dry them & reapply, probably because the large areas to cover. They can get expensive if you have large, long scars like mine. With my type of scarring, I would have had to use them for a long, long time. If the strips are not completely dry, you risk getting a fungal infection so just make sure they are nice & dry. That happened to me, and it's more common when it is hot & sweaty. After every surgery, I've had 7, the scars look the same no matter what I did. The massaging & lotion does help, especially with the itching. The vitamin E and Fish Oil actually made me break out with acne around the scars. (I'm acne prone anyway. I'm over 40 & still fighting acne. Who knew.) Hope that helps someone.

Hi Linda54. So glad you responded. In Visalia, CA there is a place called Creekside Day Spa. They have two parts to their clinic. One is for regular spa treatments and the other is a laser center run by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Stevens. All the technicians I've been introduced to are licensed nurses with quite a lot of experience. What I tried was called the RevLite. I'll copy info here for you. It may be something you could actually find closer to where you live, maybe with a local dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

I've been afraid to go ahead with the nipple recon & tattooing because I'm worried I'll end up with a whole, new bunch of hypertropic scars. I'm very curious what your opinion is and if you found other ladies who successfully had it done with no scarring. Did the tattoos scar in any way?

I hate my scars too. There's nothing better than adding a little humor to your life, especially with things we cannot change. So I say this with humor and lightheartedness....I think you should come up with a great shark attack story and deliver it with a serious face and enjoy the stunted looks on faces you tell the story to. It may be great, innocent fun. I've been unfortunately sick most of my adult life and my career never really took off. I became a happy stay at home mom but no great career honors. My husband had an executive job that meant we had to go to dinner parties and get to togethers with highly educated and polished people. I felt a little insecure, especially when I said I was a stay at home mom. I actually had a guy laugh in my face and walk away. My husband and I laughed one night that I should make up the most ridiculous occupation I could think of and deliver it with a seriousness in that kind of crowd. We spent many nights laughing till tears because I was a specialized cryptozoologist that searched for scat droppings associated with a potential sasquatch sittings in the wooded areas of the United States. (No offense to anyone who has that job). It became quite a hoot watching the faces of some of the executives and it became a fun game. So I say go for a great shark story and wear your pretty dresses:)

I do want to share with you ladies that I have found a couple great make-ups online that covers scars. I even bought the sealer that helps it to be waterproof. It's called Colortration. You can order a sample kit that has a variety of shades in it to find what matches best. I also use Este Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage in the blue bottle used for camouflage. My daughter has serious acne and we use it daily to cover up the redness and use it every time she goes swimming. I use it too, especially on hard to cover spots & always when in the water. I did try to see what I would look like without scars and covered the miles of incision lines from surgery. It actually gave me hope that one day they'll be better & in the mean time, I can cover them up. If you seal the make-up with the sealer, it is not supposed to rub off. So, for intimate times, I do like it for that reason & it makes me feel better. Best wishes.

VBEAM® or a Pulsed Dye Laser deliver an intense but gentle burst of light into selectively targeted areas of the skin. The light is absorbed by specific blood vessels in the dermis depending on the condition being treated. Factors such as the age, color and type of lesions, as well as the location on the body, all determine whether lesions can be removed.IFACE AND LEG VEINS, WARTS, P

Hi all:

Here are some of a few methods I heard about and/or used and was wondering if you had heard anything. What I've always heard is that rebuilding up the collagen is critical to improve scars. I am a little confused about immediate post-op treatment of incisions and what I should do. Wonder if anyone has tried and true advice on the post op procedures that help.

I see a lot of creams etc recommended and I just wonder if there are before and after photos that can show breast reconstruction results.

Adhesions and trauma scars (from a failed flap): My PS was able to surgically revise these hideous scars, remove the adhesion, and close the scar so that it looks infinitely better. It was covered by insurance as part of my exchange surgery.

Scar revisions for keloid scars (these are evidently reimbursed by insurance). My PS takes the keloid and simply reopen the scar, remove the keloid, and make tiny criss cross incisions with creates a visual camouflage for the scar line. It has worked every time for me on the really tough scars. I recommend that over anything else.

Microneedling with Retin A or Vita C to build collagen. On older flatter scars, this easy and cheap procedure is supposed to be pretty effective at building up collagen and improving surgical scars. http://owndoc.com/dermarolling/dermarolling-microneedling-hype-realistic-results/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2840919/  I have used it myself but never documented results. I will try to do so for my reconstruction scars.

Fraxel Laser: I'm waiting to get a quote from a skin laser PS with fractional laser technology. Here is a link to some examples of what I'm talking about: http://www.aboutlasertreatments.com/Your-Skin-Con...

Hi Folks, reposting this on some threads, may be old news to some, but to good of info not to pass this on, particularly if scars are painful,Sassy

Bluebird144…NJJoined: Apr 2013Posts: 393

13 hours agoBluebird144 wrote:

Knitted Knockers Charities is a non-profit that exists to provide free patterns for knitters and crocheters to be able to make knockers and help mastectomy patients get freeKnitted Knockers made by volunteers.

I love my Knitted Knockers! They are light and soft and warm. Unlike my silicone prosthetic which is heavy and cold when first worn, then it later causes me to sweat.

I wear my knitted knockers inside a regular bra or tucked in the pocket of a mastectomy bra. They are beautiful, and a godsend to those of us with an uneven mastectomy scar.

Knitted knockers website:

http://www.knittedknockers.info/

Fall down seven times, stand up eight.

Surgery 09/09/2009 Prophylactic Ovary Removal (Both)Chemotherapy 02/06/2013 Adriamycin, Cytoxan, TaxolSurgery 07/19/2013 Mastectomy (Both); Lymph Node Removal: Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection, Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (Left); Reconstruction: DIEP flap (Both)Surgery 08/20/2013 Reconstruction (Right)Surgery 08/28/2013 Mastectomy (Right)Radiation Therapy 10/14/2013 3-D conformal external beam radiationSurgery 01/24/2014 Reconstruction: Tissue expander placement (Right)

Whitedove, this is an old inactive thread. I bump it once and awhile or send it to someone that may need help with incisions and wound care. I did some wound care stuff on it. Retired nurse. I know you are specifically working on scars, but there may be a useful line or two Sassy

http://community.breastcancer.org/topic_post?forum...

SAS - love your new avatar.  Spring is almost here!!

SAS - I read for a couple of days but just couldn't keep up.  Once I feel comfortable dropping some of the active treatment threads - I'll be back.

Bump

Bump---Some great suggestions here. Keep it in your favs. Bump it once in awhile, if you see that it's out of date Thanks sassy.

I used just the silicon strips on my scars. I found they flattened and softened them up nicely.

PINKLOTUS MIGHT BE WORTH AN EXTRA VISIT TO ps OFFICE TO MAKE SURE SOMETHING ELSE ISN'T GOING ON.

LOL sorry, didn't notice caps on. Too tired to retype Hugs, not really yelling sassy

SAS - thanks. I try to remember to bump the constipation thread too.