Merderma or Coco Butter?

What do you all use on your scars, my PS told me to get something like Merderma, which is $25 for a small tube. I will go broke between my Tummy and Arm, any suggestions would be great.

Thanks for all your help.
Jody

Dr L told me cocoa butter or shea butter works just as well. When I was there last week I asked again and got the same answer. I asked his assistant more questions and she said the expensive brands don't do anything special. I bought the target version of mederma for my first surgery but you just go through it so fast. Scars fade naturally on their own time anyway and I think it varies where on your body the scar is as to how fast it will fade. I never even thought to put anything on my csection scars and they disappeared every time. I also never put anything on the scar in the back part of my LBL and that is almost invisible and the part in the front has hardly faded at all. I think the scars on my arms look great so I'm just using the cocoa butter for now. I also bought the palmer's oil for scars too so I'll probably alternate between the 2. Dr L put like an inch and half of a silicone strip on a part of my scar that looks like it might widen and that was it. He said to just use the lotion everywhere else so that's my plan for now.

I used cocoa butter and my scars are almost completely white and flat. Personally I think it's the masaging that really makes a difference and cocoa butter takes a long time to rub in so you end up getting a good masage at the same time.

I asked my surgeon after my first surgery in December - he said not to use anything.  He said "It wont matter if you use anything or not after a year" -  so I've been saving my pennies for my second surgery instead.  Deb P

LOL  I love your answer!

I had very good success with Mederma on my breasts after my reduction.
I tried cocoa butter on my arms after my first brachio and was VERY disappointed.
We all heal differently........I have areas on my body that I did nothing but liquid Vitamin E and the scar is basically invisible.

Its probably the massage more than the "stuff" you massage with that makes the difference.

About the only proven therapy is gel sheeting for raised scars.

The rest will fade by a year or 18 months.  You can spend a lot of $$$ in that time if you want to, or not.  IMO.

Dr. L,

I have dark skin, and my brachioplasty scar is still somewhat "raised" after applying several expensive and inexpensive creams.  BTW, my revision will be 5 months on 4/24.  Can you please tell me about the gel sheeting of which you are speaking - brand, where to purchase, etc.?

Thank you,
Rose

Hi Rose,  the best is to ask your doc what they recommend...and to sure you have a hypertrophic scar and not some other scar, like an atrophic one (which gel sheeting will not help.)

The OTC variety in my opinion is too often too thin, so see what your doc recommends.  Also, it is not cheap (check pricing on Cica-care, for instance) Maybe your doc will give it to his patients who need it for free like I do !

Here is a research article on the subject:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7582832

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7555106

Another reason why EVERYONE should use Dr. Lo! Everyone in Houston, or Texas, or the US....





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