Anyone who knows me will know that I am constantly at A&E with my daughter. If there's an accident to be had she is the one to have it! While writing this I've just had a phone call from school to say she has had another accident - aaarrrgh!! Our personal record was 4 visits in 2 weeks and the same doctor stitched her up each time. I remember the first time we went to A&E with an injury and the doctor said "oh don't worry, it's your first time but I can promise you it won't be your last!" If only she knew how true that was....
Anyway, my point is over the years I've learnt A LOT about scar treatment. I've learnt that A&E doctors do a fabulous job of patching you up but most are not necessarily worried about the cosmetic implications of these wounds. As long as it's clean, dry and doesn't get infected then they have succeeded in their job and it's on to the next little darling with it's arm hanging off or whatever fresh hell awaits them. The nurses at our GP were the ones to ask regarding scar maintenance. One of my daughter's many head injuries had become infected and it was a real mess. The nurses had more time on their hands to really help me with it as I was obviously concerned as it was right in the middle of her forehead. I had the prescribed antibiotics for the infection but the nurses gave me a product called MediHoney to treat the scabby mess and it was like magic. Within a few days the wound had turned from a gross affliction to a totally manageable red scar.
What To Do?
If you've just had an accident the first thing to do is apply ice - grab an ice pack or a bag of peas or your gin and tonic and put it on the site. This constricts the blood vessels and helps stop the bleeding. It also reduces the swelling so the edges of the skin won't be as far apart when you need to pull them back together. If it's a deep cut then apply a bandage (try not to use anything that sticks down as its a nightmare to get off and usually opens the wound up again) and work your merry way off to the magical world that is A&E.
If you've been to A&E and they have patched you up, follow their guidance in regards to stitches and steri-strips/glue. Wait till the days of keeping it dry/covered etc are up and then continue with the following.
These following 5 tips are for use on old and new scars:
1. Use MediHoney
Get some MediHoney! This stuff is amazing. When your wound is patched up and clean, this is when you use it. It can be used pretty much straight away as it's effective even when there is fluid. It's a sterile version of Manuka Honey from New Zealand so is safe to use on cuts and burns. They've got rid of all the bacteria from the honey but they haven't affected it's potency. Honey has been used for healing for thousands of years (since Ancient Egypt don't you know?) but now it is a clinically proven method for wound care and scar maintenance. The trick is to keep the area moist (sorry). The longer the cut has to heal, the better the result will be. It has to be a sterile environment though so you don't get any nasty germs getting into your body via the cut which is why the honey is so important - it creates a moist (again, sorry) healing environment whilst also being anti-bacterial. For more information please visit the link below:
2. Silicone Sheets
Once the wound has dried and the scab has fallen off you can start to use silicone sheets. These are great in the day as they keep the UV away from the area which can darken scars but they are also a great night time product and aid in the skin's natural night time healing process. I used to put one on and then leave it until it fell off on its own. They can then be washed and reused as long as they are still sticky.
The silicone helps to hydrate the scar tissue and mimics the natural barrier function of the skin. This helps the scar look flatter, softer and less angry. These silicone sheets can be used on old and new scars and they even have long, thin sheets for caesarean scars.
These are the ones I used but there are quite a few brands out there now:
3. Lavender Oil
Lavender oil may help speed up the healing process - I personally think it works and it has so many extra benefits that it seems silly not to at least try it. It's anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants which help protect you from free radicals (unstable atoms that can damage cells and cause illness and premature ageing). Don't put any neat essential oil on your skin - it will burn! Dilate 2 drops of lavender oil into 10ml of vitamin E oil or coconut oil and massage into the scar. Here are the products I use:
4. Apply SPF Every Day
SPF is the ONLY anti-ageing cream. Everything else can help with the signs of ageing but protecting your skin from the sun is the only real way to stop the damage it does which causes fine lines, age spots and that beautiful, tough leather handbag look. Your scar tissue is effectively baby skin - brand new skin that needs to be protected like you would your precious first born. It will burn easier and will darken quicker. I made this mistake with the first accident my daughter had. I was told the old wives tale that the sun heals everything and get the scar into the sun as much as possible on holiday. She now has a dark scar on her foot when even the ones on her head are white and translucent.
I use an SPF which has been formulated for scars and it has really done the job:
5. Use Retinol At Night
One of my client's told me about a range of products called The Ordinary that had given her amazing results so obviously I had to give them a go and sure enough, they are pretty awesome. One of the ingredients in the range contained retinol and I found that was the one that made my skin really glow. It promotes cell renewal and enhances collagen production - when you damage your skin your body forms new collagen fibres to repair the wound so using this topical product can help to stimulate that production and may help get a smoother result. It's also had exceptional results in studies when used on acne scars.
FYI: I wouldn't use this on children and always use SPF in the day while using this product.
Here's the link to the retinol product from the Ordinary (they are really reasonably priced but sometimes there is 50% off the range on ASOS which makes them an absolute bargain!):
A scar will never completely go, well, not with the technology we have at the moment but I bet that will be coming very soon! Everyone has scars. They all tell a story and no one is perfect. But sometimes we may want to do something that might just help. I've tried many products and wasted a lot of money over the past few years so writing down the good finds seemed like the decent thing to do and hopefully it will help.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah x
For NHS guidance on scars please follow the below link:
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