How to lighten the scar???

[swatig]

Hi Everyone,

My scar bothers me at time, I know that it will lighten slowely with time but is ther anything i can do to make it light coz it starts high up and is visisble in everything I wear. Any ointment or creams recommended?

Thanks
Swati

 

[andrew]

how to lighten scars

how to lighten scars

hello, i'm only out of the hospital for a few days so i don't have experience with an OHS scar. however, i have 3 kids and they are active and get minor injuries all the time. there are several over the counter formulations that are essentially silicone that really do work. note, that they take several months to work and need to be applied every day but it takes 2 seconds and is painless so i'd recommend it. they come in both patches/bandage type products and ointments/gels so pick whichever works best for you.

there's one that i believe used to be prescription and now is otc but i don't remember the brand name. you may notice initial effects in 1-2 months and it will steadily progress over 6 months. they will work no matter the scar age but they do work better if applied earlier. i'm not sure how early post surgery one can apply them - i should ask my docs now that i think of it

 

[Bradley White]

I've heard that Mederma (an OTC scar cream) and vitamin E both work well lightening scars.

Brad

 

[savysmommy]

Time will help as well. My scar was red for the first 6 months at least. Its been two years now, and the only reason it would be visible is because of a bump on the tip of my scar. Give it some time, it wont be that noticeable this time next year.

 

[geebee]

I swear by Vit E oil but it is messy. If you are going to use it, buy some cheap t-shirts to wear because it will stain. However, my scar is very light and very flat. Since it has been re-opened 3 times, it is a bit wide, otherwise very faint.

 

[Bina]

Mine doesn't bother me....but the top is red.
On one outing when I didn't want it glaring, I just put a bandaid on it.

 

[hensylee]

we have had this discussion lots of times, but nobody has any suggestion that works. Only time will help. Mine has been 7 1/2 yrs and the scar faded but is whiter than the skin around it.

 

[CThrock]

Mine is a real light pink,I'm a year out of surgery. I put vitamin E oil on it every morning and evening. I swear by it too. People say they can hardly see my scar,
so there you have it vitamin E oil.

 

[Jim P]

Go to the top of this page and do a search for the word "Mederma". Ross's amazing program will list for you all the threads that involved people's experiences with Medaderm and with Vitamin E.

Personally, I have been applying Mederma 3 times a day for the past 2 weeks and have seen no difference in the scar yet. However, I believe it will probably take several months to see anything dramatic.

 

[bridget]

we used

we used

my daugher is a year post op from her 2nd/3rd surgery. Its alot bigger then her first was and alot redder. We've been using Vit E and Mederma on hers and its getting lighter. With her first OHS we just left it alone and it eventually faded to a thin line by the time she was 2

 

[aussigal]

I'm not sure how old your scar is...mine is 14 months old...I had a few days in the summer sun ... my scar now blends in with the rest of my skin nicely. Wear your scar proudly, use it to educate people if they ask. Its a badge of courage and strength. My scar never dictates what I wear.

 

[drivetopless]

I came across this blog that seems to have a really good overview of all the options and tips out there for minimizing the scar and one person's experience with them.

http://www.squidoo.com/heart-surgery-scars

 

[ski girl]

I'm using a silicon sheet called Scar FX that sticks to you. I started with it three weeks post-op and only treated the top 5" of my scar because I wanted to see if it made a difference. After only three days there was a visible difference between the part I was treating and the part I wasn't! I'm eight weeks post-op today and the top half of my scar is completely flat - I can't feel it at ALL.

I don't know yet if the silicon will decrease the redness but at only eight weeks I wouldn't expect to see any change yet. The pics on the box show scars that are much lighter after using the stuff so I have high expectations!

 

[Sevgi]

I've used Scar Away silicon strips since August every day according to the directions. I don't think it has made much difference if any. My scar is still red but not raised. The directions say 8-12 weeks but I used them longer. I stopped using them last week cause they're kinda expensive and I don't think they're doing much.