I can already see that I am going to have a body covered with scars after this is all over.

JustGrateful
JustGrateful Member Posts: 72
edited July 2020 in General Cancer
What have you done to minimize the scarring? Are there any creams that will help?

Comments

  • legaljen1969
    legaljen1969 Member Posts: 763
    edited July 2020
    Great question. I am ready to see some answers too.
  • GregP_WN
    GregP_WN Member Posts: 742
    edited July 2020
    I cannot give you the names of them, but yes, there are some creams that are supposed to help. I'm sure someone will have names to offer.
  • legaljen1969
    legaljen1969 Member Posts: 763
    edited July 2020
    @JustGrateful, I have found for some smaller scars I have found that Mederma products work quite well. I had a very prominent scar on my leg for many years from an accident as a child when I tried to shave my legs (at 6 years old I don't know why I did it, but I was certainly not very proficient). I also had a bad burn scar across my abdomen where I leaned across a table where my grandmother had put a hot pan with cookies. I was too eager to get those cookies.
    Anyhow, I probably had both scars for over 20 years when I discovered Mederma products and they did help make the scars almost invisible.
    I was also reading an article that Aquaphor is pretty good for healing scars. I know one of my close friends who underwent radiation therapy told me to stock up on Aquaphor when we thought I was going to be having a lumpectomy and radiation. I have a bunch of it. I think I will start trying it on scars. I haven't tried it yet, but since my mother bought out the local drug store when they were liquidating their stock to do a corporate changeover- well I have more Aquaphor than I may ever use.

    I do look forward to hearing more from some of those who have been through the process of many scars and wanting to diminish their appearance.

    We can do this Just Grateful. I know we can. Chin up lady. Let's try to stay positive and encourage each other.
  • junie1
    junie1 Member Posts: 30
    edited July 2020
    i had a double mastectomy in 2014. My surgeon was great, yes i did have scars, but it wasn't as noticeable as other surgeries. i was pleased with how it turned out. i did use Aquaphor, and Mederma, for a while. after a while i stopped using anything. As time went by, the scar started to subside. today,, you can hardly see them. I did not have reconstruction surgery,, I didn't need boobs any longer. LOL.. Good Luck to you,, hope all goes good,
  • Molly72
    Molly72 Member Posts: 227
    edited July 2020
    When I had Melanoma many years ago, the procedure was extensive surgery. Several of my scars are so deep and large that only plastic reconstruction could help.

    For smaller scars, my Moh's surgeon recommends Mederma products, but he also suggests that the scars be sanded. I was so sick & tired of having procedures done & being cut up, that I refused. My nose looks like a boxer's I think, but others try to make me feel better & say the scars are not so obvious.
    So if the scars are in a area that shows, try a plastic surgeon if your insurance allows. If they don't show, try the cream & try to live with them.
  • Horselady46
    Horselady46 Member Posts: 21
    edited July 2020
    I have found Vitamin E works well. Not perfect but it does help scars lessen.
  • Coopswifey
    Coopswifey Member Posts: 8
    edited July 2020
    I had a mastectomy last year. I also used Aquaphor and Mederma In the early healing stages. I am a Massage Therapist and I found that massaging that surgery site a couple of times a day minimizes the scar.. Now I use Bio Oil today and my scars are healing great.
  • MarcieB
    MarcieB Member Posts: 528
    edited July 2020
    This is the first I have heard of mederma. I use coca butter - straight, if you can get it. You will smell like a Hershey bar, but that can be kind of fun (!) It works for me.
  • abflor13
    abflor13 Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2020
    I used target brand (up & up) scar cream on my double mastectomy scars. My oncologist says they healed nicely. I continued to keep them moisturized for a year by using deep moisturizing lotion. Best of luck.
  • ChicagoSandy
    ChicagoSandy Member Posts: 111
    edited July 2020
    I have found that Mederma, BioOil and plain vitamin E oil all help--but you do have to massage the scars with them, not just apply them, because the massage helps to break down the scar tissue. Don't buy pricy bottles of Vit. E oil--drugstore-brand generic E capsules are just fine. Prick them with a pin and squeeze the oil out. (That was what my PT recommended after extensive surgery to repair a tibial plateau fracture sustained when a car hit me 24 yrs ago).

    As to Aquaphor, I applied it daily--right after each radiation session (in the changing room before getting dressed again), and at bedtime, sometimes with 100% pure aloe vera gel (Fruit of the Earth, sold at my cancer center's pharmacy) or calendula cream. But that was to soothe skin (and in my case, prevent pain & damage), not scarring.

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