Preventing a scar?

Mrs.Froggianna

Another kid scratched Luke at MDO today.   It happens, I know...no biggie.  But it's on his face and is very similar to another scratch he got on his cheek about a year ago.  Even though I cleaned the first scratch immediately, applied neosporin and (after it healed) used mederma religiously you can still see a faint scar.  It's definitely faded over time, but it's still there.  Oh and both scratches didn't scab up.  It's like the top layer of skin was scratched off, but not enough to make it bleed and scab.

Is there any way to prevent a scar with the new scratch?  I don't want to haul him into the pedi for something as trivial as this, but I also don't want him to have a 2nd scar on his face at the ripe old age of 2.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  

rssnlvr

I think I remember vitamin E oil is supposed to help diminish the appearance of scars?

Poor Luke. The other kid sucks. 

MrsMillerTime

You can use a silicone scar treatment. They come in sheets (like band aids) and you just stick it over the area and it helps minimize the scar.  I've used them in the past and they're pretty handy-dandy. 

abh1977

According to my dermatologist, the most important thing is to make sure it never scabs, although it sounds like that might not be an issue here.  And yes, vitamin E is good, but you're supposed to wait a bit before starting it or it can make the scar worse.....6 or 8 weeks I think it is?  Poor guy!

Taytee

Is his other scar lighter or darker than his complexion?

If it's lighter - much less you can do. That's loss of pigment. Over time the surrounding cells will invade and fill in the area. Redness just takes about 1 year to completely resolve during which time sunblock is of the utmost importance. EVERY day, even if he will only get sun to and from the car. If it's darker, only time and further mederma and silicone scar patches can help reduce hyper pigmentation. Much easier to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Abby has 3 scars, 2 got glued back together and one scratch she gave herself as a baby is the "worst"! It's on her cheek and very light. It was almost white when it first healed and now you really have to look.

carlinlp

I'd increase omegas in his diet and put coconut oil on it a few times a day. I agree with Rosie, honey is really good too. We did both when DS needed 7 stitches on his hand and it healed very quickly with no scarring. 

Mrs.Froggianna

Taytee:

Is his other scar lighter or darker than his complexion?

The scar was red for quite awhile, and you're right the color has faded a lot and is starting to match his skin.  The big problem is you can still see the indentation where the scratch was.  It's like the skin didn't fill in or something.  It's not horribly obvious and I probably notice it more than anyone else.  Still, I'd like to avoid another scar like that if I can.