Scar Issues

[jax3172]

Hi all! It's been far too long. I hope you had a great time at reunion. I wish I had been well enough to go.

Quick update: healing fine from stroke and AVR/Aorta surgery. Cardiac rehab is going very well. My problem is that my scar is still hurting and not completely healed. My rehab makes it hurt even more. My PCP said put antibiotic ointment on it. I'm sure some of you have had this problem and successfully overcame it. Any suggestions?

[PaulW]

I used triple antibiotic ointment from the drugstore. Good luck with your healing!

[Georgia]

With lanacaine.

Also used Vit E oil - the really thick stuff that comes in a little bottle for @ $10. I really don't know how much it promotes healing (altho "everybody" says it does), but you can't beat it for keeping the incision moist and keeps it from pulling. Put an undershirt on, tho, b/c that oil doesn't come out of some clothes!

[BAV Pt's daughter]

Vit E works well, can even use the capsules and break them open for the oil, it can be much cheaper that way. Also, try Mederma for scars, it helps a lot, but can be a bit pricy. It's worth it for most people.

[geebee]

I used Vit. E capsules and just poked a hole in one end and squeezed out the oil. I am convinced it helped my scar (and I have had 3 opportunities to test) and also kept it moist and thus not "tight". Except for a small area at the very bottom, my scar is flat and very pale. The scar is obvious if you know about it but not obvious enough to prompt stares anymore.

[joanne6]

Glad you asked the question because I have been meaning to. I will get some Vit E caps this wkend.
Joanne

[gijanet]

I know this is a minor, cosmetic thing, but we are hoping that Katie is through with heart surgeries for quite a while. For the first time ever, the bottom third of Katie's scar is keloid(ing?). Will anything help this? We are doing Mederma for kids, but just once a day after her bath. Will this help keloids? It does seem to be helping the numerous chest tube scars. Thanks. Janet

[JeffO]

I was told to leave the incision alone until it closed up. After that I alternatled Vitamin E from capsules and Aloe from a plant a few times a day. Then I heard some people had been successful with Mederma and have been using that for about 6 weeks.

Results are mixed so far. The scar has flattened out and had lost some of its reddishness. It seems there are two scars: 1)a 1/4 inch thick red mark and 2) a very thin whitish scar underneath the red where the incision came together. Is the red mark the keloid? I would be very happy if the red faded and all I was left with was the thin whitish incision scar.

I am planning to keep up the Mederma for another month and then try something else.

Jeff

[JeanneImp]

I know this is a minor, cosmetic thing, but we are hoping that Katie is through with heart surgeries for quite a while. For the first time ever, the bottom third of Katie's scar is keloid(ing?). Will anything help this? We are doing Mederma for kids, but just once a day after her bath. Will this help keloids? It does seem to be helping the numerous chest tube scars. Thanks. Janet


Hi Janet,
Matt has the same, only the top third of of his scar. We have tried everything and nothing has worked. The only option, plastic surgery.

[rbl1999]

How soon can you start using the Vitamin E or the Mederma, I keep forgetting to ask my doctor, my AVR was in July... Thanks Rose

[JeffO]

How soon can you start using the Vitamin E or the Mederma, I keep forgetting to ask my doctor, my AVR was in July... Thanks Rose

Rose - Once your incision is healed / closed up...about 6 weeks post op. You should be ready to try whatever you like. My surgery was in August.

Jeff

[gijanet]

Is the red mark the keloid? I would be very happy if the red faded and all I was left with was the thin whitish incision scar.
Jeff

Yeah, I hear you. The red is not necessarily a keloid. If it is keloided (is this a verb?), it will be raised, harder, and sort of gnarly looking..........really yukky to look at and worse to touch.

Well, pooh, Jeanne, that is NOt what I wanted to hear..........only cosmetic, I know, but STill! Our previous scars had all healed quite nicely and were reduced down to that nice thin line.......... I just hate that Katie has to look at that and feel that..........just one more reminder that she is "different." Well, that, and her clicking. She woke up last night and wondered why her heart was ticking like a clock. It's funny, but the only time we ever hear her valve is in the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, thanks all for your input. Many hugs. J.

[bobcatrel]

I used anti-biotic cream during the day and then wore an old sweatshirt at night when I would use Vitamin E which stains. The lower inch of my scar is the only area that is tender (3 months post-op) and I think it is from movement/exercise. I'll put up with a little tenderness in return for getting back to normal quicker.

[Cris N]

I went through an unbelievable series of attempts to reduce the hypersensitivity on my skin. It has finally dissipated though I still experience some discomfort from time to time.

I just received in the mail a batch of reports from chest CT scans done after my surgery. One of them mentions a sternotomy seroma, which apparently is like an abscess but no infection... normal body fluids taking up space created when capillaries & stuff were cut & surrounding cells die. I had a fair amount of swelling at the top of my incision... spent a lot of time massaging the area. While a light touch drove me crazy, a heavy touch worked wonders.

I did use aloe too which I think helped the actual scar.

Hope you feel better soon.

Cris

[jax3172]

I'm already using the triple Antibiotic. I'll try Vitamin E, Aloe, and Mederma - whatever that is. My scar also has a raised red area in spots. other parts are completely healed and flat. Thankx again, all.

[BAV Pt's daughter]

You shouldn't use any of these until your wound has completely healed/closed, and is without any signs of infection. As for keloid scarring, that is very tough to deal with most often. I have one on my back that formed after having a "pre-cancerous" lesion removed three or four seperate times. Nothing has helped it, not even the Mederma or similar products. My dermatologist even tried lasar therapy for me (for free!! since she was unsuccessful at other tretments of it) and that only dimished the redness of it a hair. It is still pretty red and sticks out quite a bit. I have had this scar for over 5 years, and it still feels like there is a stitch in it too, but many docs have looked at it. Hope you have better luck. If nothing else works, consult a dermatologist or plastic surgeon if it is a major concern.

[joanne6]

I bought the Vit E capsules and starting using it. How often do you recommend putting the oil on the scar?? The scar from my trach pulls and hurts all day every day. I keep trying to raise my chin in order to stretch the scar. It is horizontal. The scar is red and looks inflamed but I do not have an infection. I also heal with keloid scarring and the site where I had my chest tube is raised and red.
Thanks in advance.
Joanne

[Georgia]

Vit E - I used it after every shower; it pretty much stays on. I'd check before bed and use it again if necessary (seldom necessary). Again, be careful to keep it off good clothes.

Janet - my daughter had a nasty keloid scar on her arm from a couple of falls - big and ugly and lumpy - got it when she was about 3. Took her to dermatologist who said leave it alone, and if she still had it as a teenager he'd work on it.

She had it for years, then all of a sudden it disappeared. Phfft. MD was right. So Katie'll probably do all right.

[LynnK]

I was told by one of my rehab nurses that Cica Care had had beautifully resolved a keloid scar that one man had.

I want to try ot, but it is very expensive. Maybe I'll treat myself for Christmas.

[Ricardo]

Hi Jeff, I happened to come across your comments and noticed that Dr. De le Torre was your surgeon. I am planning to have him perform a mitral valve repair from the right side, through my ribs. While a different procedure than yours, I would like to see if you have any comments (off the record of course) about him, his performance, quality of the surgery, scar etc.. Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Ricardo
I was told to leave the incision alone until it closed up. After that I alternatled Vitamin E from capsules and Aloe from a plant a few times a day. Then I heard some people had been successful with Mederma and have been using that for about 6 weeks.

Results are mixed so far. The scar has flattened out and had lost some of its reddishness. It seems there are two scars: 1)a 1/4 inch thick red mark and 2) a very thin whitish scar underneath the red where the incision came together. Is the red mark the keloid? I would be very happy if the red faded and all I was left with was the thin whitish incision scar.

I am planning to keep up the Mederma for another month and then try something else.

Jeff

[gijanet]

I was told by one of my rehab nurses that Cica Care had had beautifully resolved a keloid scar that one man had.

I want to try ot, but it is very expensive. Maybe I'll treat myself for Christmas.

What is Cica Care and where do you get it? I've seen Mederma and the Neosporin patches, but haven't seen this one? Thanks much. J.

[JeffO]

Hi Jeff, I happened to come across your comments and noticed that Dr. De le Torre was your surgeon. I am planning to have him perform a mitral valve repair from the right side, through my ribs. While a different procedure than yours, I would like to see if you have any comments (off the record of course) about him, his performance, quality of the surgery, scar etc.. Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Ricardo


Hi Ricardo,

I got your this also as a private message and responded there, so look for that. But suffice it to say that I have had almost no complications and I think that Dr. de la Torre is a great surgeon. I was out of the hospital 2 1/2 days post op, off pain medication after 6 days and have healed remarkably fast and completely. I couldn't be happier.:D :D :D

Best regards,

Jeff