I am 10 weeks post op from subtalar fusion and tendon repair/transfer/lengthening. I have 4 separate incisions on my foot and thus 4 potential scars. I thought I would be proactive and now that my cast came off, I would begin to treat the scars so they would stay pale and soft. Since everyone seems to recommend Mederma it seemed like the thing to do. (I didn't want to use the silicone strips because I didn't want to stick something onto my tender skin).... Well it turns out that I must be one of those few individuals who are allergic to the ingredients because after only one use, the scars went from barely visible (more indented then color changes) to red. I'm so frustrated.. they look way worse now. It's been 24 hours and it doesn't seem like it's going to go back to the way it was before. Has anyone experienced this and do they have any ideas of how to get it back to the way it was??
I have no idea about that reaction, but I put vitamin E oil on any kind of scar as soon as the skin heals back together, and the scars lighten and heal up nicely.
The vit. E oil may soothe the skin so it can heal up nicely even after the irritation it evidently had from the Mederma.
Your should ask your surgeon, but if the irritation is from a reaction to the mederma, you would be best calming it down with a topical corticosteroid. Try over the counter hydrocortisone. As I mentioned initially, ask your surgeon first.
I used the silicone patches and they worked great, I left them on 24/7 except when bathing, especially on the heel scar which was wide and the last to heal. I rarely threw them out, just cleaned them and used a sock to secure it. I would think using them would allow the scar reaction to calm down. The ones I used went all that sticky which s why I used a sock to hold them on. And the patch protected the scars rather than irritating. But do ask the doc about your allergic reaction.
Thanks for the suggestions. I found an over the counter hydrocortisone that has aloevera in it. It seems to be making a big difference. Once all the irritation is gone, I think I'll try the silicone patches to reduce the scarring effect. Don't want to take chances of "re-acting" to another topical cream.
Hi jlynn - silicone strips are awkward, but silicone creams work just as well. Try to google silicone scar creams and pick one that's hypoallergenic. I've spent a lot of time doing research on scars and have used a few products. The silicone creams are your best bet.
I've never used mederma on any of my scars, but I know plenty of people who have. Unfortunately, I don't have any answers for you, but hopefully someone will! So sorry for what you are going through because I'd be just as frustrated since you were trying to do the exact opposite!
Well that was weird! When I read and answered, it didn't show any of the other replies and then when I hit submit to post mine, all the posts showed up! Argh! So please disregard my hope someone else answers!!!
