Bio-Oil for scars...any good?

Mupette

bio oil is good but check the small print, and the doctors on when she can start using it.

onlyroz

I've had spinal surgery and I've got an 18 inch scar down my spine and another one running round my right shoulder-blade. Yes, the scars start out bright red and horrid, but they *will* eventually turn white - and unless she's particularly keen on wearing backless dresses and skimpy bikinis I think that very few people will ever notice it.

I also don't think that any oil or cream will make much difference, and at the moment I imagine that she is more interested in recovering from the op than in rubbing in any lotions.

WASHER

I used Bio Oil for months on my surgical scar, it doesn't work in my opinion and overpriced, the reason I say this, I had other surgery and was left with a scar, it faded quickly and has left a white line (looks like a stretch mark), and the other scar which I used Bio Oil on for months looks exactly the same.

Don't waste your money, time is a great healer.

GlasweJen

I developed a keloid scar when I got my pacemaker implanted (unlucky, apparently it's really rare in white people). The doctors took ages to refer me to dermatology and I used a combination of bio-oil and palmers cocoa butter in the interim. The scar went from being very red with 2 big lumps (one the size of a marble and the other more pea sized) to being a lot flatter and quite pink.

We're now 3 and a half years down the line and the scar looks more like a birth mark, I would definitely recommend either product to reduce scarring though building up confidence is a lot more important than the scar reduction itself. I'd go with something more pampery than something that will draw attention to the scar outright.

starjumper

Used it on my belly when I was preggers and I didn't get any (additional) stretch marks and the ones I had seemed to have faded a little bit.

I was chatting to a nurse friend over the weekend about scars and she said that where she works with children they kind of rub and tickle the scars to desensitise them as sometimes they feel super sensitive and people get a bit creeped out if the scar gets touched and the rubbing helps reduce this in the long term, so I imagine that rubbing cream, lotion or oil on the scar a couple of times a day will help this for her maybe.

I have a scar on my wrist (childhood accident, glass fell out of a door slammed by a friend and cut my arm up) and it was cut to the bone and it freaks me out just thinking about someone touching it, if bio oil had been around 30 years ago I'm reasonably sure the scar wouldn't have been so bad.

meames_2

the nurse who removed stiches from my shoulder recommnded just vaseline

funkymonkey849

I used sillicone strips for a scar and I cannot reccomend this enough. You can get it from the doctor on prescription as either a strip or a cream. The make I had was called Silgel.

I have a 6 inch scar on my leg (SH), the cut was deep and I didn't get it seen until it had started to heal so I couldn't have stitches. The scar was about 8mm at its widest, it was raised and red and itchy.

I wore the strips every day for about 6 months. They are comfortable and you can't feel them, and they are sticky so they don't come off in bed or under clothes. You keep the same strip on for as long as you can and it creates a perfect healing environment for the scar. If you start using them when the scar is young they are even more effective, but I had my scar for about a year before I started them.

Now my scar is flat and almost the same colour as my skin. My leg used to look a total mess but now you can hardly notice it.

My personal experience with bio-oil - I used it for a year and there was no noticable difference at all. Wouldn't use it again.

Siemo

I agree that Silgel is fab and much better than any oil or lotion you can buy and she should get it from the doctors or hospital. Don't bother with bio oil - spend the money on something else she can pamper herself with that doesn't draw attention to the scar - like a manicure or some nice jewellery.

scooby088

I was advised to use arnica on a scar, it worked for me and now comes in a cream.

barbiedoll

Apricot..yes, I've spoken to her mum about the oil so it will not be given to her as a "present", it's just something I wanted to buy because although she's not too bothered about the scar at present (she's only 13!) it may bother her in the future.
I know that scars can be sensitive so the "desensitising" was also a factor.

She is white and she has her ears pierced, so we know she's not prone to keloid-type scarring

And, yes...it was scoliosis surgery. She has recovered really well so far and is due to come home today, fingers crossed. Apparently, her scar is long and very red at the moment (5 days after surgery) but is quite neat and tidy. We live a long way away so I won't be able to see her until Easter, just didn't want to get her any more chocs, flowers etc etc. I have already got her a little "pamper set" all ready, so will probably get some Bio-Oil and give it to her mum for her.

Many thanks for all of your replies, especially D&DD, you're right, they do recover very quickly at that age. We thought she'd be in hospital for weeks when we heard what the surgery entailed :eek: Hope your DS is ok.