Surgery Scar

[Veronica]

I as not sure were to post this silly questions so I thought this forum could be a good place to start.

I was wondering if anyone out there is familiar with any scar removal procedures. I just had AVR for the 2nd time this past December. My surgeon told me that in 2yrs I could see a plastic surgeon to have steroids injected around the area which would help remove some of the scar. I am 33yrs old w/a mechanical valve so I hope I wont need anymore surguries. My first surgery took place when I was 17th. My husband could care less about the scar. I am just kinda tired of this scar I have had for several years. I hope you all dont think I am vein. I just would like to be able to put on a blouse with out worrying if my scar is showing. I also dont care if people see my scar but I do hate having to explain what happend. I guess bottom line I just want to remember what my chest looked like with out this scar. Hope you all or at least some of you understand were I am comming from. If anyone out there knows of anything that would help minimize the scar appearance, please share with me. Thanks, V

 

[Christina]

Hi Veronica,

I think my scar looked terrible after my surgeries (keloids, 2 surgeries), and I hated it at first. It looks better now after 3 1/2 years. I've changed my mind about the scar and now call it my badge of honor. I wear whatever dresses or tops I want. If people ask me about the scar, and they really haven't too many times, I tell them that I had heartvalve surgery. Why not, I've got nothing to hide.
I asked my doctor a couple years ago about scar removal through cosmetic surgery. He said, any surgery, even cosmetic surgery is still surgery and if you have keloids now, there probably will be keloids afterwards.
I've decided to leave it alone and "just live with it".

 

[Lulabelle1]

Hi.

Just a quick line for you to ponder.

"A scar is proof, that there was a past"

Lulabelle

 

[hensylee]

Some have had treatment for scars.

it's been almost 4 yrs for me and the scar is hardly noticeable anymore. I know it's there, but most don't.

 

[Abbanabba]

A friend of mine told me about a product called "Cicacare" (??) (..pronounced Sicka-care..) which is a silicone patch you wear over the scar for several hours a day. She had some very bad keloid scarring and had tried vitamin E creams, rosehip oil... but without much noticable difference. She said this product made an AMAZING difference. I'm sure you would be able to get it in the States, and here we can buy it over the counter at the chemist's.

Obviously the scar needs to be healed over before using it, but it might be worth exploring before looking to see a plastic surgeon. It only works well on "new" scars though. Anything that is over a couple of years old which is already "well healed" will not benefit from it (..according to the brochure..).

I guess it's much harder coming to terms with your scar when you haven't had it all your life and know how your body looked beforehand. Personally I've had my scars for as long as I can remember and they are just part of who I am. Even if I were to have plastic surgery to minimise the scarring, I know that at some stage I will need to be re-opened, so I can't really see the point.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Cheers
Anna : )

 

[Harpoon]

My wife got me some kind of scar reductioin cream (you can get it in any local drug store, that's what she did) for my scar...


I've yet to try it.


I'll admit to being a little self conscious about my scar when it's visible (answering the door with my shirt off) but it's better than it was last summer only a month after getting home form the hospital.


Funny thing is, I was practically BORN with a zipper. The first one I got a few months after I was born with my first heart surgery. It faded to a light line down the center of my chest and while it was clearly visible, I never had any problem with it at all, just another part of who I was. Now I have the dark big scar down my chest and another one around my right side and several "puncture marks" from chest tubes and various other unpleasant things that were protruding from my body. I also have a (fading) large bruise that covers about the whole right side of my torso, over the entire rib cage...

Badges of courage maybe, or at least strength and willpower to survive damned near everything that can be thrown at me...


I don't mind explaining the scars. I get more questions these days regarding the ticking, usually in the form of "do you hear that?"


=)


Yeah, I'm quite fond of my "eccentricities" these days!!!

I'm different, VERY different in some places, and it's kinda fun watching someone else trying to wrap their head around the idea that I have this metal and plastic thing inside my chest that they can't see but certain can hear. =)



Oh, I had one person ask if the ticking was from a pacemaker so far....





Conjured up an image of having to get it wound up every six months like an old watch.