Coping with scar tissue.

[cuddlepop]

Is there anyone out there that has had surgery and been left with an ugly scar?

My youngest has a deep scar down her front,remenents of open heart surgery when she was a baby.
I've alwas suspected she was very self conscious of it but it wasnt until today that I realised its affecting her so badly.
Going swimming is a no no and I thought it was because og the "sound" in the pool but its not its the "ugly scar " that she wants to hide.
Even in summer when its roasting she insists on covering up her neck.

Does bio oil work or has anyone anyother suggestions?:(

[shazzap]

Have you tried asking about camouflage make up.

[ShelleyCowie]

Bio oil does work. But you have to apply it daily for it to work. Yes its expensive but it helped my scars.

I have facial scars and i was quite aware and self consious for a while. I used bio oil and they faded quite a bit.

Also not forgetting stretch marks, they helped mine so much.

Or another idea is cover up make up that she might be able to get prescribed by her GP. That really works wonders! :Razz

[cuddlepop]

Thanks you two.:D

I.ve made an appointment with her Gp and priced Bio Oil in the chemist its about £15 for a large tub.
Unfortunatly she has a problem with creams as the texture"feels funny" so I'm not sure.
Make up is another good idea,dont know why I never thought of it before.:roll:.Liquid foundation is fine for applying to her face so think that might work.

[shazzap]

Thanks you two.:D

I.ve made an appointment with her Gp and priced Bio Oil in the chemist its about £15 for a large tub.
Unfortunatly she has a problem with creams as the texture"feels funny" so I'm not sure.
Make up is another good idea,dont know why I never thought of it before.:roll:.Liquid foundation is fine for applying to her face so think that might work.

The makeup you get from a hospital is specialised and would cover better then shop bought.

[cuddlepop]

The makeup you get from a hospital is specialised and would cover better then shop bought.

Dont know if we'd get that service here,probably have to go to Inverness.Thanks shazzap.:D

[BRIE]

I dont know how old your daughter is so im not sure if this will help or not.
Try talking to your daughter & explain that this scar is unique, its not a bad thing its what shows the world how brave she is & that without it she might not of been here at all. Maybe if she sees it as a positive thing she might not be as concious about it.My daughter has a scar on her chest too which she was very concious about too but since shes got older it doesnt seem to bother her as much.

[cuddlepop]

I dont know how old your daughter is so im not sure if this will help or not.
Try talking to your daughter & explain that this scar is unique, its not a bad thing its what shows the world how brave she is & that without it she might not of been here at all. Maybe if she sees it as a positive thing she might not be as concious about it.My daughter has a scar on her chest too which she was very concious about too but since shes got older it doesnt seem to bother her as much.

Unfortunatly she's 18 and extremely body conscious
Her older sister cant understand why she's not "proud" of her scar as without it she'd have died.
The older she gets the worse the" covering up" does :~(

[Julia]

I bought bio oil for my surgery scars and I think it's pretty good, it was a lot cheaper to buy off ebay.

[ShelleyCowie]

Thanks you two.:D

I.ve made an appointment with her Gp and priced Bio Oil in the chemist its about £15 for a large tub.
Unfortunatly she has a problem with creams as the texture"feels funny" so I'm not sure.
Make up is another good idea,dont know why I never thought of it before.:roll:.Liquid foundation is fine for applying to her face so think that might work.

Cuddlepop, semi-chem does bio oil cheaper. Thats where i get mine from. Thats if u can get to a semi-chem in Skye???

I find that the small bottle lasts quite a while. Especially if its only for 1 area.

[canuck]

The 'oil' has a much gentler feel that creams. And it absorbs very quickly.

[Dadie]

The red cross used to do camoflage make up trials/lessons but I dont know if they still do.
The docs should be able to refer her to the hospital or reccomend somewhere for camoflage make up trials and lessons in applying it!
The make up is longer lasting with better coverage than normal make up and is "set" with a powder to make it waterproof so she could go swimming without feeling so self concious if wanted.

Good luck!

[feegilmour]

i got the camoflage cream and powder from red cross in inverness and it is very good and very easy 2 use 2

[Kodiak]

If you wish to try Bio Oil keep an eye on eBay as some sellers sell this at a good price. IE 125 Mil Bottle for £4.99 Here are some links to eBay Sits that sell Bio Oil :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/125ml-bio-oil-bnib_W0QQitemZ250481660745QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_He alth_Beauty_Skincare_PP?hash=item3a51ded349&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bio-Oil-125ml-NeW_W0QQitemZ230357259310QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Hea lth_Beauty_Skincare_PP?hash=item35a25cd42e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RE-GEN-OIL-BIO-action-for-Stretch-Marks-Scars-125ml_W0QQitemZ130318701849QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_H ealth_Beauty_Skincare_PP?hash=item1e57999519&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/bio-oil_W0QQitemZ170371524511QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Hea lth_Beauty_Skincare_PP?hash=item27aaef279f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I also have a 12 Inch Scar but mine is around my Neck as is clearly seen if I were an open necked shirt, which I do all the time. It does not bother me and one way I got to this stage was to ask everyone I met if they wanted to see my Scar and what happened, no one paid any attention to it. So now I have no problems.

[George Brims]

Since she's 18 and probably not got much growing left to do (remarks about my 55 year old waistline will be ignored!), perhaps she could have the scar tidied up by a plastic surgeon? You should ask her GP about this. I'm sure since it seems to be affecting her so much that it would be covered under the NHS.

[cuddlepop]

Thanks for all your replys they've ben very helpfull.

Her Cardiologist has already told her that if the scar "bothered" her she'd be eligible for NHS skin grafts.I dont know if plastic surgery would cover the puncture wounds either side of the scar where the drainage tubes went.:confused

[ShelleyCowie]

Thanks for all your replys they've ben very helpfull.

Her Cardiologist has already told her that if the scar "bothered" her she'd be eligible for NHS skin grafts.I dont know if plastic surgery would cover the puncture wounds either side of the scar where the drainage tubes went.:confused

Cuddlepop, i was just flicking through the new argos and found cover up makeup.

Argos number online 054/0924

[starry]

Have PMed you xx

[cuddlepop]

Have PMed you xx

Thanks Starry Oh knows the Red Cross Coordinator over here so will approach her first as she's local.

[Liz]

I was just going to suggest the Red Cross as some of them are trained in covering scars. The make up they use nowadays is really good and doesn't clog the skin like it used to.

If the scar is raised there is actually a silicone gel patch which you can apply to it and it is supposed to be really good. Your GP should know about this.

I really hope she does get something which helps. I'm sure she will.

[cuddlepop]

I never knew just how much the Red Cross do.

I'm sure her Gp will point her in the right direction.

Thanks for all your replys at least now she realises she's not being stupid and it can be helped.:D

[Fran]

So sorry that your daughter is upset about the"zip" scarring from her heart surgery. The doctor can give you a prescription for a great scar covering cream set. you put the cream on and put powder on top. it is matched to your skin colour. it really is great and doesnt come off on your clothes, i was very very pleased with it. Hope she can be proud of her "zip". It is thanks to the scar that she is alive today. The British heart foundation do a great site called heart2hearts like on here, and she will be able to "chat" with other young girls who dont like their scars.
also there is so much jewellery made to day that is ideal to cover these scars, the pendant seems to hide it.
I see boots do a plaster which you put on your scar and it helps it to fade, but i dont know anything about them or if they are any good.

[Vistravi]

Bio oil is brilliant for fading scars. my sister had a few scars she felt self conscious about and after using bio oil daily for a couple of weeks they looked alot better and had faded alot.
I have a scar from a burn on my left forearm but it doesn't bother me so much. it did after it had healed and i thought "Oh no i'm going to be stuck with this scar now" but its faded a bit now and not fussed about it.
Whatever she uses i hope she feels better about it. i'm sure when she's much older it won't bother her so much cuddlepop.