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Glad it's working better for you this time round Maya.
I knew that 18+ wound care Manuka Honey would come in handy for someone. I ordered it but then realized it was sold at the local mall so i cancelled it and i never actually went to get the stuff from the mall. I bet it's really soothing. Does it prevent scabbing?
will - yes, it has totally prevented scabbing and in fact made the excised scars painless - I still had some pain when I applied CP and emu before.
The only problem with the 18 manuka is that it's very thick and sticky, so the only way to keep it on is to glob it on the scar and then cover with a plaster, and change the plaster and add more honey every 12 hours or so.
I can see under the stitches the wound has healed better this time and there is absolutely no infection whatsoever. I think why 2 of my excised scars (last time) re-opened was because of infection and poor healing - the manuka seems good to correct both of those.
If I ever get needling/subcision etc.. again, I will use this 18 manuka honey. It's turned out much better than I thought. And unlike emu which soaks in quickly, the honey just sits on the top, creating a healing barrier which I think is what's needed right now.
Maya based on the research I've done, dermabrasion (sometimes laser) is often used after excision to help erase the excision scars. Have you considered this or asked your doctor? i dont know it seems like a good idea... I don't know if this link works or not: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/u...ars+excision%29
but, its a good example of how the 2 procedures are used together. Basically the face is dermabraded and any scars that are too deep to be corrected by this are then excised. So in this case, excision actually occurrs during the dermabrasion procedure, but i think dermabrasion can be done anytime after excision.
Jonah - I would never consider dermabrasion as I am Asian skinned and it would cause deep hyperpigmentation. I don't have a problem with having a few lines on my face which in a year or so will look like the tiniest scratch marks - it's the holes that got me down.
MY UPDATE - WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 6 stitch excision has turned out pretty well - all stitches came off this morning, the area is slightly indented but OMG - it's amazing looking at the centre of my right cheek and seeing that these 2 enormous (around 5mm x 4mm) deep scars next to each other have gone! - it is now a 1 inch fineish line which is slightly indented, and not even very red at all (I think the lack of scabbing from using that honey helped here). It looks like I got into a fight with a razer - so it's almost kind of cool. My boyfriend said it's amazing, and the truth is.. it really is!!
There are still 2 large scars to be excised (around 3 x 3mm each on my left cheek.. and very deep) then I will be 80% happy - I still have around 30 or so smaller scars - (largest being 2mm x 1mm) but they don't affect the way I look and are not in the middle of my face so don't bother me much. These I will not get excised as perhaps needling and subcision will be better for them.
Really, I am so happy right now - it has worked better than I thought.
I love Dr CHU!!!!!!! /
The funny thing is.. as my big scars get slowly eliminated, the small ones seem to stand out more.. ](*,) I know Denise also noticed this.
Thanks Lola
I got the manuka 18UMF gel from a UK site - only AA10 ish plus free shipping - it's an enormous tube! I can't recommend this enough - if I had used this when I had needling a few months ago and excisions 6 weeks ago, I really think I would've had better results.
http://www.worldwideshoppingmall.co.uk/bod...anukacare18.asp
Dr Chu said that healing takes place over 2-3 months - the ones worked on 6 weeks ago have improved a lot over the time - they're not perfect, but still improving all the time.
Hi everyone,
I had excision last week and I thought I would share my experience with all of you.
Okay, my scar. It was a crater-like chicken pox scar in the middle of my forehead - probably about 5 mm in diameter and fairly deep. I saw three different plastic surgeons and they all recommended excision. One of the surgeons also suggested that I could try a filler like Artecoll first. But the other surgeons were of the opinion that a filler wouldn't work. So I decided to go with the excision.
I live in Canada and one of the benefits of excision is that it's covered under our health plan. So it did not cost me anything to have the procedure done.
I decided to have the procedure done by a facial plastic surgeon. I went last Thursday. The procedure itself was fairly straightforward. He first had me lie down on a reclining chair. He then stuck two needles into the scar to freeze it. This was slightly painful but not too bad. He waited for about 5 minutes and then took a scalpel and started cutting the scar. It was a weird feeling. I could feel a little bit of pressure as the scalpel dug into my skin. However, there was no pain at all. Before I knew it, he began stitching the area back together. I could feel the needle go into my skin and my skin being pulled.
There has been talk on this board about the need for an inside stitch when doing excision. There have been different opinions expressed - lonelyman's doctors support it whereas Maya and Maria's doctors don't think it's necessary. Before the surgery, I asked him whether he thought an inside stitch was necessary. He said that it depends on the size of the cut and how deep the cut is.
The entire procedure from start to finish took less than 10 minutes and was pretty casual. To give you an idea of how casual it was, we actually had a conversation while he was cutting the scar out. He asked me where I had gone to school and what type of work I did.
After the surgery, he put some strips over the scar.
That evening, I felt a little bit of pain in my forehead - sort of like a stinging sensation. But there was no swelling or bleeding.
Five days later (yesterday) I went to his office to have the stitches removed. Taking out the stitches took less than 30 seconds. It felt like my skin was being pinched. There was also a little bit of bleeding.
He then put some more strips over the scar and told me to leave them on for 3-4 days.
I had a chance to look at the scar. So far, it looks pretty good. It's a fine vertical line, about 7-8 mm, running up and down my forehead. It's pink and slightly indented. There are also small horizontal lines, about 2-3 mm, from the stitch marks. The best way to describe it is a T-shape or cross, with multiple horizontal lines. I would say that the most visible parts of the scar are the stitch marks. I guess that I could have minimized these scars by taking the stitches out earlier; however, I didn't want to risk taking the stitches out too early.
I imagine that the scar will look better with time. Overally, I am happy with the procedure. I much prefer having a flat linear scar than a crater in the middle of my forehead. I took some pictures before and after the surgery but unforunately, they did not turn out. I will try to take some more pictures and post them so that people can see the results.
If you are thinking of having excision done, just remember that what you are basically doing is replacing whatever scar you have with a flat linear scar. I would agree with Maya that if you have a big scar, then you might be happy with excision. However, if your scars are small, then excision might not be right for you. Also remember that in my case, as in Maria's, I only had one scar excised so there is only one linear scar. However, if you have multiple scars, then be prepared to accept mulitple linear scars. (although Maya seems to be happy with her results so far)
I would also recommend seeing a plastic surgeon to have excision done. Most plastic surgeons will be skilled in cutting out skin, stitching, etc. However, remember that your results will also depend on your skin and how it heals after the surgery. I think that where you have excision done on your face can also be a factor.
I think that's all to say right now. I hope that this information was helpful. I'll keep you all up to date on my progress.
Cheers.
hi to some of you want to know what was the image of scar line after excision, here is a picture excision of a hairline excisiion:
http://www.hairlosshelp.com/hair_loss_trea...rectproced2.cfm
I'm looking at my big 1 inch new scar today right in the middle of my right cheek - the middle of it seems to have sunk/indented and the outside edges look slightly raised - ya know, like when you got a tight rubber band around your wrist and that puffs up the skin on either side.
Sort of looks like a deep wrinkle - really hopes it smooths out - don't mind having a big flat line there.. but a sunken one, that sucks! #-o
I haven't got any photos yet.. anyway, eventhough it is slightly sunken, I still prefer it to the deep holes. This way.. it makes me look like I was in a fight .. rather than having had cystic acne..
I'm hoping that it will improve over time (Dr Chu said to wait 3 months).. and if not, I will probably get it needled.
lonelyman - I think you're right...
My excision scars are not really improving as much as I originally thought, some of the visual improvements must've been due to the swelling - all are still indented, although still look better than before (apart from the red marks) ... the 1 inch line is not pleasant to look at even with concealer on - the line is quite thick (not hairline) and indented - looks like a knife wound.
If my excision healing isn't improved after 2-3 months, then I won't want any more performed.
An update on my excision, one week after I have had the stitches removed, and 12 days since the surgery.
The scar has healed quite nicely. It has adopted the same colour of my skin (no red marks). It doesn't even look like a scar, but more like a groove in the skin. The only negative part is that the scar is slightly indented, but it's only noticeable if I look at it very closely in the mirror and only in certain angles. Overall, I would say that there has been an 85% improvement. And hopefully, it will get better with time.
Maybe it can be done over?I'm scared it would make it worse - I now would like it done like lonelyman - the 2 layer stitch way, but Dr Chu doesn't use that method.. and there's no one else in the UK I know offers this.
Right now, I just feel I am trading one type of scar for another.
Well, perhaps they will improve over time, fingers crossed.
im sorry to hear that maya, maybe u should look into some sort of abrasive treatment to try to soften ur excision scars. dermabrasion, laser who knows. i know these are dangerous for people of certain skin colors, but it's not necessarily going to cause damage and i think u can get ur skin tested beforehand to see if a certain procedure will mess with the skin's permanent pigment. Also i know exoderm is supposed to be safe for all races (exoderm is just another abrasive treatment, except instead of sanding or using laser, they use chemical peels). Maybe you should look into this? Also i think u mentioned needling, will u pursue that? Good luck and try to look on the bright side of things, even tho thats not always easy for us...take care!
Jonah - My doc and aesthetician have always advised me against dermabrasion - said my skin type is too sensitive.. I mean.. I even get burned by glycolic at 40%! I have read about exoderm on Voy, but I am concerned about down time. I think I will send Dr Chu an email and see what he says.
Thanks for your concern, I appreciate it. Yeah, I'm trying to look on the bright side of things (like e.g. my b/f doesn't seem to mind how my face is) but I went to get my hair cut today - the lights were so bright, showed up every flaw.
Keep the faith, Maya. There's always hope. I'm glad you have discounted the option of dermabrasion. It worsened my scars tenfold. I had VERY minor scars when I had my dermabrasion (probably considered 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10) and due to my being relatively uninformed at the time, I chose someone who was not very adept at the procedure. Besides being excruciatingly painful (physically) and gross, the treatment left me with more--and deeper-- scars. Those scars reach down to my psyche and my soul, so it truly WAS the worst mistake I've ever made.
Johnnery - thanks. I am trying to remain positive, but I'm getting real tired of getting excited, and then being let down. At the beginning of this year, I was so sure I was on the right track and going to have between 60-70% improvement on my scars. I seem to be taking 2 steps forward and then 2 steps back.
My main source of hope is that the excised scars I have will look better (somehow) by the time I get to see Dr Chu again in January. Dr Chu also mentioned to me that he may be conducting a clinical trial for Isolagen, but won't know for a few months - it would mean only working on my other scars (the ones that haven't been excised) - and it would be free. I couldn't afford that type of money anyway and to date, most of the Isolagen patients haven't had that much improvement.
That's awful about your dermabrasion - I suspect that many people here now have more scars due to bad procedures.
I know what you mean about how scars reach down to your soul - I'm feeling that right now. On the up side, my friends and b/f around me are supportive and I really appreciate you and every one on this board. This board helps me so much.