SI Question - scar question

[sherbet lemon]

hey sorry i didnt no whether to label it or not but did just in case.

ive got like two or three really raised scars on my arm and at the minute they are itching like crazy is there anything that can be done for it, i tried rubbing some moisturiser on it and nothing,.

also i sort of been using bio oil a few times in the last few days do u think that it might be something to do with using it

love catherine

[Jetforce]

Maybe a nice shower might help??

[fragile as glass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetforce

Maybe a nice shower might help??

A shower? How patronising.

It sounds like you have keloid scarring which are scars that are raised and redder than your other scars.

You could be allergic to the bio oil so perhaps you could stop using it for a few days to see if it makes a difference.

Often what really helps keloid scars is being massaged with a PLAIN moisturiser like E45, Aqueous cream, Dermol etc. You have to keep up with it though. Sporadic use (infrequent use) is unlikely to help.

The only other thing I can think of is to try antihistamines to try and help with the itching.

Good luck! x

[Rodolphus]

I have the same problem. I've found that putting something cold (a damp, cool washcloth works well) over the top for a few minutes can help reduce the itch. Then put something moisturising/healing on. I use either Aveeno (natural moisturiser from oatmeal, works really well) or if the skin is cracking or particularly sore, then Sudocrem healing cream.

[sherbet lemon]

thanks everyone, i will try the daily moisturising i think.

i do remember my gp mentioning keloid scars, as these ones are really raised compared to the others.

but there is certain times that they just itch like hell and its so annoying!!

thanks anyway

[Gentlementalmen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fragile as glass

A shower? How patronising.

dude, chill :\

[Animad]

A scar often is itchy though if it just started after you started to use the bio-oil then it may be you have an allergy to that. Jetforce's advice in this case is therefore fine because if it is a contact allergy then it will help to reduce any residue on the surface and therefore reduce the reaction. If it still remains itchy whilst not using the Bio-Oil then it is likely that it is just the healing process. As wounds knit together then the nerves also join and sensory areas of them start to fire causing pins and needles and itchiness. As well as this, the scar tissue being dry can cause the itchiness. Lanacaine is a local anaesthetic cream available in pharmacies and many supermarkets in the UK. You can use that on any scar so long as the cut is TOTALLY healed. Moisturisers and Bio-Oil again should only be used when a cut is totally healed and just the scarring remains. The best things are moisturisers with Vit e or Vit A in them but yes, other moisturisers may help. e45 cream is not a moisturiser. It is actually a barrier cream which means it remains on top of the skin rather than penetrating it and prevents other things going down onto it and therefore is not the best to use. Massaging scars by themselves can help too so long as this is done gently.

Keloid scars are raised and red, yes but so are hypertrophic ones. Hypertrophic scarring takes the same shape and size (though may be slightly larger) than the cut was itself and is a totally normal part of healing. Keloid scars on the other hand is when the scar tissue starts to overgrow and grows into the surrounding tissue which, unlike with hypertrophic scars where the raised portion is adding to the strength and aids healing (and the redness is due to increased blood flow, again aiding healing), Keloid scars do not aid healing. Also, in the long term Hypertrophic scars will fade and flatten whereas keloid scars don't and a lot of the time they keep on growing. They are not one and the same and I see the term Keloid scarring bounced around a lot when it probably isn't that; it's not interchangable with hypertrophic and I myself have a LOT of scars from my days of cutting, the majority of which were hypertrophic scars and I have never had a keloid scar from anything; SH, other injuries, surgery... Though, if your doctor has mentioned that it may be a Keloid scar then I won't argue with that. Some people do get the odd one, some people are genetically programmed to get them where even a scar from a spot or a bite can turn into a huge mass of scar tissue. But yes, just to clarify, there is a difference between the two.