[RaRa7]

My ds had open heart surgery when he was 11 days old.
He has a large incision scar as well as 3 even more prominent scars where the drainage tubes were.
My questions to you all is this:
what would you do about the scars?
For the last 4 months I have been applying tamanu oil whicn is a nut that is supposed to heal damaged skin, esp. scars.
I can't tell that it's working-of course I wouldn't really be able to tell as it would heal so gradually.
BUT I am wondering if I should use something fron the store like Maderma???
I don't want to-it has parabens in it among other offensive ingredients I'm sure.
I just don't want ds to ask when he's older why I didn't do everything I could

 

[perl]

Awww, you are such a thoughtful mama! I don't have any advice, just thinking that the scars are a badge of his (and your!) courage and a testament to his strength. It's quite likely that the scars will be waaaay less prominent when he's older, as he will continue to grow and the scars will remain the same. I remember as a child being extremely embarrassed by a mole I had on my left cheek. It seemed HUGE! Now it's barely a dot and I don't even notice it. My face apparently grew to accomodate it. I'd say just keep using the oil, as you know it is safe, and be prepared to talk about his scars and help him explain them to his peers as he gets older. Good luck to you guys!

 

[aisraeltax]

my ds2 had heart surgery and his scars are very prominent. he's never asked me why i didnt try to cover them up or anythign. i think he was embarassed about them for awhile but now he is very proud of them. he knows that he went through somethign very unique. there are actually summer camps for kids who have gone through heart surgery (there is one outside Boston). you may want to ask your cardiologist whether he/she knows of any in your area. it can really make the kids feel apart of something special.
glad he's doing better.
rach

 

[Red]

My nephew, 18, had huge scars from when he had heart and brain surgery as a baby. He's a guy. Scars are a sign of strength for guys. He was never bothered by them.

His mother always treated them as just part of who he was. although his twin has none. Do what you feel is best, don't worry. He'll accept his body if you do.

 

[jassyp101]

When he's a little older, you can try acupuncture. Acupuncture has a treatment called scar treatments where the scar is surrounded by needles rather superficially (not really painful but looks scary). The idea is to bring "qi" to the area so the body can repair the scar.

I treated a patient who had a huge scar from emergency surgery to remove a ruptured spleen. It was a rather ugly scar that ran from his sternum down to his navel. After 6 months of treatment (once a week) the scar was barely visible.

 

[muldey]

My ds had heart surgery when he was 10 weeks old.He's 5yo now,and they are not that noticable.The incinsion scar is the lightest,his 2 drainage tube scars are the most prominant.He also has a bunch of little tiny scars at the bottom of the incision from all the wires.They don't bother him.He knows what they're from,and he's proud of that.I used vit e oil for a short time,now I don't do anything except extra sunscreen on them.