two months LBL post-op and scars

So I am now two months post-op LBL. Mostly back to normal. Running? no way! Makes my lower body numb, etc. Sitting is good, but have to stand up frequently. Sleeping is nearly back to normal - I can even sleep on my tummy on hard surfaces (like normal beds, just not on my super-plush pillowtop though - LOL).

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.................. scars..... right after surgery they looked so fine and thin - I had internal stitches w/ super glue on the outside. Now they seem to be darker and wider than they were the first month. I tried the scar gel but there's no difference at ALL and it makes my incisions itch like CRAZY!! Dont know how much longer I can take the scar gel.

Anyone else have scars that seem to get worse before they got better?  And what's with the slightly yellow tint to the belly button anyhow? (It looks perfect outside the incision circle but looks like the jaundice yellow/bruising look on the inside my navel).

I'm going to wait for my 4 month follow up in early Sept to have the surgeon remove the hemotoma on my thigh - I dont want a new cut right before summer as I have my niece coming for a visit and we want to go swimming - LOL.

Cass

Hi
my BB had a yellow tint yo it but now it is fine I am almost 6 months post TT, if you are out in the sun your scars can get darker and they get darker after you get out of the shower

I'm a vampire, I dont have to worry about my scars being out in the sun - LOL. No, really - they think I have some recessive gene related to albinoism or something is the reason I'm white as a sheet and can't tan, etc - I can't go out in the sun for more than 10 minutes without SPF50+ and then I still burn. I hate going in sunlight - can we say migranes? I get my Vit D through dry vit pills. I only swim at night or in indoor pools (that dont have sun windows) :-). I've always been this way - they darken my ID photos so that I dont blend with the white backgrounds - how bad is that? LOL

Cass

When I had my thyroidectomy a few years ago, my scar reached it's worst state at 8 weeks.  My surgeon said this was totally normal.  I was afraid I would have a horrible mess on my throat but it matured at about the nine month point and looks good now.  My LBL was similar - the scars got purple after the first few months and then started to fade.  Good luck.

Hi Cassie - make sure you are not somewhat allergic to the scar gel that you say is making you itch.. that could also be the culprit.  Have you tried not using it a couple days just to see what happens?

 Your scars are changing because gravity is at work here - it's normal to see these changes.....including the belly button......if the scar gel is making your itch - sounds like your allergic to something in it........try cocoa and shea butter - glom it on - it's about the cheapest and most natural and helped me to keep things very moist without being globbed up with petroleum jelly..........the point is to keep tissues very soft and moist.....helps with granulation and healing.  You're doing fine.......my big challenge at 8 weeks out was that Georgia Boy was visiting me for the first time for a week and I kept asking my surgeon "will I be able to do 'everything'?!?!??!   I was.........: )   Susan

Hi there Susan,

(Apologies to Cass for the hijack)

I'm wondering how your scars are doing after the laser treatments that you had done? Can you tell any difference so far?

A sub for the scar gel is good ole vitamin E.  Pierce the capsule with a push pin and quirt it onto your fingertips and rub it in.

Cindy

My Dr told me flat out that my scars would look worse before they look better. Mine are much darker then they were immediately, and that's normal.

Scars, just like swelling and the rest of your body go through phases of "good" and "not so good", especially in the first 4 months.

I'm also at 2 months, and I've had some complications, but my scars stay true. Your scars "tell the story" to your surgeon about how you are healing in the inside. Extreme itchiness is not normal and can indicate infection, and I would stop using that scar gel ASAP. It's for superficial niceness of scars and is likely CAUSING the itchiness.

I would call your surgeon if you're really concerned, which its seems you are. Also, if you have a hematoma, don't wait - get it taken care of ASAP before it gets worse!

Thanks for the graphic pics.  You look great!  One thing I would recommend is seeing a Dermatologist.  The kind who specialize in the non surgery lifts and treatments.  In one of our monthly meetings put on by my surgeon's office and my hospital they had a dermatologist speak to us.  He showed us before and after stuff that was amazing.  He told us what can be fixed and what can't and what can be improved.  But one thing he said was after we have surgery to come see him asap and he would start a treatment on the scars to make them disappear and prevent them from spreading.  So maybe you should try that route, it would be worth the investment.