Advice on reducing a scar please

The evening before our holiday last week, my little girl (nearly 4) tripped and banged her head, resulting in a deep gash above her eyebrow and a trip to A&E.


I'm in the process of trying to remove the steristrips that the hospital put on but from what I can see, the wound still looks unpleasant and I am very concerned about permanent/lumpy scarring.

Is there anything I can use now (while the wound has a scab, or should I wait for the scab to go?) to reduce the scarring? I understand it can't be avoided completely but I would like to do something to improve things for her.

I've heard of the following and would be grateful for any advice/knowledge/opinions:

Aloe vera juice
Vitamin E oil
Manuka honey
Tea tree oil
Ice cubes???
Olive oil
Elastoplast scar reducing strips

Thanks hopefully.

I have seen Bio oil advertised on tv that is supposed to reduce scarring. Not sure how good it is and if it works though.

I would personally let it heal first and the scab drop off. Someone else my have first hand experience and be able to give you a better answer.

Our youngest a bit younger than your Daughter did something similar on holiday years ago only needed steri strips though and he has no scar. He does have a few other scars now that would win him prizes but luckily they are in hidden places.

Mark our eldest when he was 5 tripped in the school playground and sliced the top of his cheek on the metal things used to secure benches down he had stitches and now sports a nice action man scar he also has one on his head where he fell into a bollard at 13 and that has a left a slight scar. It doesn't seem too bother boys so much so we never did anything to try to reduce them.

Good luck in your quest.

I would say definitely NOT tea tree oil. It's highly antiseptic and strong and shouldn't be put on anything like a wound or scar

Bio Oil is supposed to be good for scarring, but it's quite expensive to just buy some for a small scar.
I've used vitamin e oil - taken straight from the little capsules on scars before as well.

You'd probably be just as well buying a decent quality moisturiser and putting that on every night.

I've got a few facial scars from an accident when I was younger, and used to smother them in Nivea every night.

You can get some stuff, it's the same as Bio oil, but cheaper It's called Rescue oil, I got mine from Home and Bargain for £2 Bio oil isn't far off £10 a bottle........

They both work, and will hopefully reduce your daughters scarring.....Bless her x

I got some bio-oil after I had had Ben to try and reduce the scarring on my belly from the c-section. Not sure it has made much of a difference, and it is pretty expensive too.

Sorry to hear your wee girl had a bump, and hope you find something that helps.

I would be very careful what you put on if it is very close to her eye. Little ones are inclined to rub their eyes and you don't want anything to be rubbed in there.

One consolation is that she is probably young enough, with good healing abilities for it not to leave a permenant scar.
Hope so

I wouldn't put anything on it until the scab has dropped off. If you soak the sterastrips really well they should be easier to remove. As part of the natural healing process the skin will look redened and this is completely normaly. If you use a little moisturiser on it something designed for babies maybe, and gentle massage that should help but I think you will find in a month or 2 it should be barely visable anyway. My Ross has a thing for headbutting things and has had his head glued back together on several occassions. All that are left of his scars are fine lines now.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your help everyone.

I have used bio oil on stretch marks for my belly recently and it is ok, does fade them, but to be honest, she is young so cocoa butter may work just as well asn a good diet with plenty of veg and fruit and vitamin a to help the skin heal.

Hope this helps

Alex
xx

sorry to hear that C has been in the wars.

I would leave it just now, let it heal itself and then once scab is off just use a really good moisturiser like a stretch mark cream, cocoa butter, or aveeno and just keep using that.

Kids skins are very good at healing. Luca got a really deep cut on his forearm which I perhaps should have got steri stripped, but I didnt realise it was quite as deep as it was - anyway its healed up nicely and he has a very fine white line that I think will fade in time.