9 weeks picture (shirt-free)

[TheGymGuy]

Now that I know this particular part of the forum is private, here is another picture with scars. Again, I am not into hawaii shirts so here is the full upper body shot in all its gory (erm... glory - ha!)

3 days VS 3 weeks VS 9 weeks:

Also, a 9 week closeup:

All things have healed up pretty nicely and completely. There is only 1 bump on the chest scar, in the very middle and it is a stitch which my body just refuses to dissolve. So we will go and have that removed soon.

Chest hair is a bit coarse around the scar and does not cover it up just yet. As the season of growing continues this all shall work itself out.

 

[TheGymGuy]

6 month pictures

6 month pictures

Close up of the scar, with all the training I was doing it looked a little bumpier than it should. Looks better today.

 

[pellicle]

nice work ... what is that bruising on your biceps?

 

[TheGymGuy]

The bruising is from Graston Technique (http://www.grastontechnique.com/) that I had done to me a week earlier. Basically, its a blunt knife which they drag up and down your problem areas or around your problem areas which increases blood flow significantly thereby improving/increasing healing. I was benching and squatting a bit much and my elbows were bothering me. We fixed them good, the problem is that I had this done before I was on coumadin and there was minimal if any bruising Now, that I am slightly less coagulated (lol) it looked like I took part in a Fight Club. No matter, cannot stop a little bruising from taking part in treatments which help so much.

 

[pellicle]

Interesting
Thanks

 

[Duffey]

Looking good! I think it took my drain incisions longer to heal than my breastbone cut; yours look like maybe they have too?

 

[Julian]

I can see the pectorals have taken their proper form since your 9 week photo. Keep up the great work. I'm on the road to getting my pecs there.

 

[ottagal]

Looking good.. things are healing nicely....thanks for sharing.

 

[TheGymGuy]

10 month post OHS.

Morning picture (this AM with plenty of light):

Post workout picture (Several days back, with less light):

As you can see, lightning is everything. Those shadows in the gym make me look a lot larger than I am, and also hide the scar really well. I did gain some weight while training, which is not a bad thing for me. The remnants of the scar are covered up somewhat by chest hair. Some areas are slightly less skin color and have a bit of a pink hue to them.

Perhaps, it is time to use some creams to make it even less visible.

 

[TheGymGuy]

7 years post OHS picture.

This picture is after a diet and CrossFit cycle. Other than beard and temporary lack of chest hair, the scar is pretty faint and only visible with bright gym lights. Otherwise, it’s pretty fair.

Can’t clearly see it from 10ft away and definitely can’t see it when the body hair is in full bloom. Though, I’m proud and fortunate to wear it and live to tell a tale.

Looking over my yearly pictures, I’d say after about 18-24 months the scar looks the same as today. It seems less visible when I’m also a bit chubbier up top.

 

[Duffey]

Good picture! As you say, the scar is barely visible.

 

[Gordo60]

Just curious if anyone here used Silicone gel on their scar to reduce it’s size / visibility? I’ve used it on smaller skin cancer / cyst removal scars and they are almost impossible to see even very close up. Certainly the result was much better than scars from earlier on where I didn’t use the product as I wasn’t aware of them. Plastic surgeons get their patients including those receiving facial surgery to use these products to minimise scaring.

 

[Agian]

I'm almost three years out and mine looks like yours at the 10 month mark. It still occasionally gets itchy.

I've tried various silicone gels. I'm using giovene now, twice a day. It'll get there.

 

[vivekd]

Just curious if anyone here used Silicone gel on their scar to reduce it’s size / visibility? I’ve used it on smaller skin cancer / cyst removal scars and they are almost impossible to see even very close up. Certainly the result was much better than scars from earlier on where I didn’t use the product as I wasn’t aware of them. Plastic surgeons get their patients including those receiving facial surgery to use these products to minimise scaring.

I used Scar away for 2 years. I think it helped a lil bit with scar, but not with keloids.

 

[pellicle]

I'm almost three years out and mine looks like yours at the 10 month mark. It still occasionally gets itchy.

on my first one (as a 10 year old) it looked like a flattened red angry earthworm
on my second one (through that now flattened less vivid scar) it was just a line
on my third it went fat for a while then over 3 or so years faded

its been posted here before, but why not again:

you can see different locations for drainage tubes (and again as I keep making this same point) because scar tissue (which goes all the way through the tissue) necessitates moving them at least a little (making the point a bit more about why redo surgery scar tissue causes issues as I see that its poorly understood).

NB my new scar goes higher (and wider at the top) because of the debridements for clearing the infection.

 

[TheGymGuy]

We gotta get ya some creative ink around that scar. I’m thinking grizzly bear face looking to the side with a sword scar on his face and a broken sword below where drainage tubes used to be. That would look awesome and cover up scars creatively.

on my first one (as a 10 year old) it looked like a flattened red angry earthworm
on my second one (through that now flattened less vivid scar) it was just a line
on my third it went fat for a while then over 3 or so years faded

its been posted here before, but why not again:

you can see different locations for drainage tubes (and again as I keep making this same point) because scar tissue (which goes all the way through the tissue) necessitates moving them at least a little (making the point a bit more about why redo surgery scar tissue causes issues as I see that its poorly understood).

NB my new scar goes higher (and wider at the top) because of the debridements for clearing the infection.

 

[pellicle]

We gotta get ya some creative ink around that scar. ... That would look awesome and cover up scars creatively.

No way, I went through a lot to have these.

On consideration, what about a traditional Nordic design like this?

 

[tom in MO]

We gotta get ya some creative ink around that scar. I’m thinking grizzly bear face looking to the side with a sword scar on his face and a broken sword below where drainage tubes used to be. That would look awesome and cover up scars creatively.

I believe some person on here showed they had their scar incorporated into a zipper.

 

[carolinemc]

Sorry I do not have a picture of mine to post. But you men are looking good with your badge of honor. Looking Good! Hugs for all of you today.

 

[TheGymGuy]

@pellicle, I like the Nordic Design. What if we did a Viking with a scar across his face?