Helping a scar to heal? Any tips?

[Delster]

Just over a week ago I scalded my hand with piping hot tea. Yes, yes, OK, no giggling at the Irish girl scalding herself with tea

Anyway I left it well enough alone until it looked like it was fully healed and now I''m wondering how to help my poor skin along and help it return to normal? It''s current appearance is kind of dirty and dried out, cracked looking. The skin is fully healed over, it''s just super dry. But it''s very obviously a different colour and texture to the rest of my hand. The patch is quite large, probably an inch or so square.

I got a nasty burn on the same hand before and the doctor recommended keeping it out in the air and splitting Vitamin E capsules and putting the oil on it. I did that and it had no effect. If anything, it made it worse - it seemed like the wound wouldn''t heal while the Vitamin E was on it. In the end it became infected and I went to a different doctor who freaked and said I could have lost my hand (rest assured, I am never going near that other doctor ever again!). I have a really ugly hole left in my hand now where that burn was.

This time I''ve made sure to let the wound heal fully but I''m still nervous of the Vitamin E. I''ve done some research and it seems the ''Vitamin E heals scars'' thing is a bit of a myth.

I''m wondering if anyone has any alternative suggestions? I''d appreciate any recommendations!

Oh and did I mention that both of these burns are on my left hand?

 

[Lorelei]

Yikes Del! The only thing I can think of to suggest if this burn doesn''t need a medical pro to look at it, is to get some Neosporin antibiotic ointment to use.

Maybe Sharon will pop in and see this and advise you, I will holler....

SHARON!!!!!

 

[Delster]

Ooops sorry Lorelei I think maybe I''ve scared you a bit more than I meant to!

Both burns are fully healed, and this most recent one has had no nasty infections or anything of the like. I took good care of it, kept it super clean and well away from the Vitamin E

I''m just wondering how to help it heal along now. My hand has one great big dirty coloured super wrinkly patch (new burn) underneath a hole (old burn) and it''s not very pretty.

Where can I get this Neosporin ointment? I''ve never heard of it before, is it something like Germolene? If the wound is healed up does it really need an antibiotic? I''m wary of using them unless I absolutely have to.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/24/2008 11:18:41 AM
Author: Delster
Ooops sorry Lorelei I think maybe I've scared you a bit more than I meant to!

Both burns are fully healed, and this most recent one has had no nasty infections or anything of the like. I took good care of it, kept it super clean and well away from the Vitamin E

I'm just wondering how to help it heal along now. My hand has one great big dirty coloured super wrinkly patch (new burn) underneath a hole (old burn) and it's not very pretty.

Where can I get this Neosporin ointment? I've never heard of it before, is it something like Germolene? If the wound is healed up does it really need an antibiotic? I'm wary of using them unless I absolutely have to.

Whew! I had visions of an oozing, infected nasty a$$ burn on your poor hand...I am trying to remember if Neosporin is an American product or not, if it is dry and healed as you say, then it might not be needed. I guess time will help as the skin regenerates, the dry browny red wrinkly stuff should go in time. Something like Germolene may certainly help, also there are various scar sheets and creams available which might be worth a try.

We do need your left hand looking pretty now don't we???

Specially as I know what is in store for it!!

 

[appletini]

It common for people to be allergic to neosporin, so if you need a an antibiotic ointment purchase polysporin instead. I recently had a burn on my arm, and I put some cocoa butter on it, which seemed to help. They key is to keep it from getting too dry. You also might want to try vaseline.

 

[Delster]

Thanks appletini, sounds like the key is emollient then.

Poor Lorelei, I still feel terrible for scaring you! I promise it's not so bad, just a bit of a scald. If it were serious I would have sought medical attention, promise (like I did with the first one, ha!). My vanity is just kicking in now is all

 

[Delster]

Date: 4/24/2008 11:21:46 AM
Author: Lorelei

We do need your left hand looking pretty now don''t we???

Specially as I know what is in store for it!!

Do you know something I don''t?

 

[Lorelei]

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Ouch! Poor you.

WHen the heat and pain has gone, you might want to try bio oil. It''s supposed to reduce the visibility and improve the appearance of scars. I''ve used it for a small facial scar and it worked pretty well. It''s not a medical treatment as such, so don''t apply it to broken or blistered skin - it''s more to help the healing phase.

Hope it didn''t hurt too much.

Jen

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Thanks for the shout out Lorelei

--it is true I worked as a nurse in a large teaching hospital on Burns and Plastics for ten years. And using Vitamin E oil or aloe was not part of our treatment regimen. But honestly, I am not up on the literature about using the same so cannot comment from that standpoint.

For fresh burns (depending on their depth), we used Flamazine cream to help stave off the ususal suspects that cause infection in an immunocompromised burned patient. Water only to cleanse. Gauze bandages to cover, changed twice a day. Blisters often form in partial thickness burns and if they are on an area that is high wear and tear, we would cover them as when/if they broke as they were an open portal for infection. I never broke a blister intentionally, just hope they would absorb on their own. Removing bandages twice a day his helpful for the debridement process if offers, and for assessment of the wound.

Neosporin or polysporin or bacatracin in an ointment we used around the edges of grafted areas. People often use this at home on small superficial burns, as it has a antibiotic (bacatracin??) in it. I really don''t like to add or use anything unnecessarily--as these things can interfere with wound healing too. You would klnow if your burn is draining unusual colored or smelling exudate, in which case you you might have bacteria in there that doesn''t belong and might need some antiobiotic ointment.

The only thing we used on healed burns was dermabase. It is the type of creme that pharmacists use as the base of their topical concoctions. It might come under other names, but that is what I know it as. Moisturizes. And yes, once the burns were healed we left them open to the air.

Please do not take my advice in place of medical intervention. But hope it is helpful.

cheers--Sharon

 

[UCLABelle]

I would normally have lots of tips if this was a surgical scar (have a healing one now, and three large previously healed ones thanks to a broken heart

). All I wanted to say is good luck!!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks Sharon, that was a great informative post

 

[Odilia]

I've heard of using cocoa butter (at least for cuts - not sure about burns).
And also there is something called "A&D Ointment" which a nurse once told me to use for healing (it was a cut, not a burn). It worked very well for the cut.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

White tea. Either the tea bags or creams with it. I know aveeno used to make one. John Hopkins ran a whole bunch of tests on skin and found that for burns, including sun burns, it helps the body repair the damaged skin.

 

[LDubs]

Not sure if you could order this in, or if you''d want to spend the money (it''s kind of $$), but per my Doctor''s recommendations I used it on a scar that was right in the middle of my chest - and I think it really helped minimize the visibility. I''d use it again in a heartbeat!


Neosporin Scar Solution

 

[Delster]

Wow so many replies, thank you!

I was looking at the burn again and I suppose the best way to describe it is that it looks like an unmoisturised elbow. You know how some people's elbows look a darker colour and are kind of wrinkly? I have an elbow on my hand!

Mrs Michell - I've seen that Bio Oil but to be honest I'm skeptical about it. It claims to heal stretch marks and nothing can heal those. I can't help thinking its real benefit is the moisturising properties of the oil, and the antioxidant from the Vitamin E. It's awfully expensive and if something cheap (like Johnson's Baby Oil say, or the oil inside the Vitamin E capsules) is much the same thing, then I'd rather use that. I'm so glad it helped with your scar though so I may yet give it a try if this one doesn't heal up nicely in another week or so!

Sharon - wow, so much information, thank you. After reading your post I am so annoyed at that doctor who treated my first burn. He actually sent me home with little needles and told me to keep lancing the blisters and then leaving them open to the air. I should have trusted my instincts and asked my pharmacist right away was he bonkers (clearly he was). I did as he said for just a few days and now I'm left with a nice hole in my hand to show for it

I wonder is dermabase the same thing as Aqaeous BP or Silcock's Base? Those are the names for the pharmacist base emollients over here, do they ring a bell for you at all?

UCLABelle - I'm so sorry to hear you've had to learn so much about surgical scars but thank goodness your heart has been able to be mended! Take care of that scar, and of your poor ticker

old-fashioned girl - I'm thinking the emollient route seems like the best one all right!

brazen_irish_hussy - that's so interesting, I bet it's the antioxidant properties of the tea. Off now to research that more. Wouldn't it just be perfect if the thing to soothe the tea scald scar turned out to be... tea?

LDubs - I can't get Neosporin in Ireland I'm afraid. And the website says it can't be used on any kind of pitted or stretched scars. I'd be nervous. But maybe there's a similar product over here that I can use - I'll have to ask my pharmacist. Thanks for the tip.

 

[oobiecoo]

just ignore this

 

[Delster]

Thanks oobiecoo - as I said in the original post though I''m nervous of using Vitamin E again after the bad experience last time.

 

[Elmorton]

Three months before my wedding, I cut myself shaving. Not the typical "oops, ouch!" but the "I''m in sixth grade, don''t know what I''m doing, I just took off half of the skin from my ankle to my knee" kind of cut - this wouldn''t have been a big deal, except that my dress was tea-length.

After the scab, etc went away, I used a scar cream that I saw on a commercial...Scar-Away or something like that? I''m sure there are similar products where you live. Anyway, one of the main ingredients is something that apparently just bleaches your skin. I used it about 3-5 times a week before the wedding, and the scar became a lot less noticeable. So, a lot of these scar products are not really "healing" the scar, but rather changing the color of your scar so it blends in with the rest of your skin. Your pharmacist should know where to direct you

 

[movie zombie]

balms with chamomile and/or comfrey are very very healing. try to get organic, if possible. i''m a big fan of comfrey for cuts also. i grow it so all i have to get is a leave, mash it up and place it on the specific area with a gauze bandage if i want it on their for awhile. however, fresh from the plant, the leaf will stain the skin green. not true with the oil or in a balm.

go to a natural health store and show them your hand. knowledgeble staff will be able to help.

movie zombie

 

[Delster]

Oh, Elmorton, ouch! Haven't we all done that at some stage though?

This scar-away cream sounds interesting. Is the skin bleaching permanent or just temporary?

I'm going to give my skin a full cycle to renew itself before I look to anything too drastic. So another few weeks. Sounds like just keeping it really well moisturised is the key in the meantime, and then I have all these interesting recommendations for if it's still very visible after that!

ETA - movie zombie thank you, comfrey, writing that down now...

For your gratification, I snapped a photo of my mangled leftie handie. Poor handie. It needs a little something to distract attention from all those battle scars, don't you think?

 

[bee*]

Sorry to hear about your hand Delster! I have a scar on my leg from about ten years ago when I burnt myself taking pizza out of the Aga-I wish I''d had the sense to do something about it. If you find anything that works, let me know.

 

[Sabine]

I''ve been using both cocoa butter lotion and an American product called Mederma, which is specifically a lotion to reduce the appearance of scars, on a scar on my hand, and neither of them seem to be having an affect, but maybe they would work better on other people. I have skin that scars very easily. Either way, good luck to getting rid of yours!

Also, if I may threadjack a bit...UCLAbelle, any suggestions for surgical scars? I had thyroid surgery almost a year ago now, and the scar on my neck is still VERY visible! I''ve been using the cocoa butter and Mederma on that too.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Delster--I am not familiar with those products you mentioned, but if they are used by a dispensary as a base for topical medicine (no perfume, no other addiitives) then it likely would suit. The stuff ususally comes in plain plastic white tubs. Looks like lard! (but much softer....LOL)

Wound and skin care is a specialty--and many health care professionals are not aprise of the most current/proper treatments regarding the same--I worked with some in Public Health! You should have heard some the advice given!

In short, scars are scars. Sorry. They can "fade" in time. We used compression bandages to help diminish bulking of the same--Jobst garments and tensor bandages (Jobst are great for hands....). You''d be surprised how flat a scar can become after wearing one for a while.

Did you need physio after? Remember scars can become contracted and interfere with range of motion--not good on a hand.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[movie zombie]

also, summer is coming up: make sure to keep that hand with the new skin out of the sun....even now on a sunny day. don''t put sunscreen on until more healed so you don''t develop a chemical allergy. my experience is that fresh new healing skin can''t take the sun and will tend to show the scar more later down the road. if you treat it right, you won''t even know its there in a few, i hate to say it, years. but trust me on this one: as you get older.....like i am....you''ll appreciate not being able to see the scars of your youth.....

movie zombie

 

[diamondfan]

Mederma or Curad or some type of anti scar bandage and lotion combo. Even works on very old scars.

Keep it out of the sun. In the healing phase use heavy duty sunscreen and if it is on your face wear a hat. Otherwise keeping the healing skin from the sun is vital!

 

[Hera]

Date: 4/24/2008 4:42:15 PM
Author: bee*
Sorry to hear about your hand Delster! I have a scar on my leg from about ten years ago when I burnt myself taking pizza out of the Aga-I wish I'd had the sense to do something about it. If you find anything that works, let me know.

I have a scar on my arm from taking a pizza out of the oven! There's an imprint of a cookie sheet on my arm now

 

[Pandora II]

I was going to suggest Flamazine too.

I burnt the palm of my hand very badly making fudge in the microwave - my father made me hold it under the cold tap for 10 minutes, and then put Flamazine and gauze on it. I have no scar at all.

I also always have a tube of Flamazine in the house just in case.

I have some great cream at home that I don''t remember the name of right now - I''ll check when I get home. My father got it for me so I don''t know if it''s prescription (he''s a GP), but it''s great on very dry skin.

 

[Delster]

You are all so helpful, thank you!

bee - ouch, an Aga burn? That must have hurt! The 'hole' was inflicted by an oven. I have a matching one on my index finger on my right hand that was inflicted by a grill. Gosh it's starting to sound like I shouldn't be let near a kitchen!

Sabine - sorry to hear your scar isn't fading! Maybe some of the tips in here will help you find a great solution? I hope your thyroid surgery was a success. Maybe you should start a thread to try and get UCLABelle's attention? She may not come back by here...

Sharon - yes, sounds exactly like that. You can buy Aqueous and Silcock's Base in the chemist over here in huge tubs for a couple of euros. They're heavy duty emollients and soap substitutes. Parents of newborns with dry skin are told by hospitals to wash them with Silcock's Base and slather them with it afterwards. Same for people with eczema and psoriasis. It does have sodium laurel sulphate in it though, do you think that's something worth worrying about?

movie zombie and diamondfan - I promise, I am all over the sunscreen! I wear it on my hands all the time anyway (keeping it off the leftie while it's healing), don't fancy the thought of age spots when I'm older

heraanderson - i'm sorry you've done battle with an oven too! (what's a cookie sheet?)

Pandora - I looked up the Flamazine and it's an antibiotic cream - I guess it's our version of Neosporin on this side of the pond! I probably should have put something like that on it straight away, I don't think it would serve any purpose now that the burn is healed over. It sounds like something every household should have in stock. I'd love to hear the name of the dry skin cream if you had it handy

Thanks again all. Off now to moisturise my handie...

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Delster, as far aas I know Neosporin and Flamazine are not the same topical drug--while it is true they both cover a broad spectrum of bacteria and promote moist wound healing, chemically they are different. If memory serves, Neosporin has a triple combo of bacatracin/neomyxin/polymyxin (sp) and Flamazine is composed of silver sulfadiazine. (I think in dermasbase!!). For future reference of course, now your wound is healed. Honestly, compression and moisturization will go a long way to getting your hand back to looking like it's former self. Good luck.

cheers--Sharon