Caring for Scars
- Courtney Medeiros
- Feb 16, 2023
- 8 min read
Scars
Seeing our kids with boo-boos is so hard, and some injuries last longer than others. Dealing with a little one with scars can be extremely overwhelming and emotional. Here are a few things you can do to help aid in the healing process. This is not medical advice, just what I have chosen to do for my little guy. I know finding things I could do for him also helped me deal with the scars emotionally.
While these items will be most helpful for new scars, it is still beneficial to some degree for older scars. I’ve been doing the silicone gel on an old scar of mine and have definitely noticed some improvement.
Our scar kit includes:
In the bag:
Separate:
This is just what we figured out worked for us. I sifted through a lot of information before deciding on this routine and these scar items. Hopefully this blog post helps you narrow down what will work well for your family.
Routine - In the morning, usually with breakfast or when we brush teeth, we remove the silicone patches from the night before. We wash his face, roll on essential oils, rub on rose ointment, and then apply silicone gel. The act of applying all of these also gives us a chance to massage the scar tissue which helps break it down so they will be softer and flatter. I try to give all of these ointments a chance to soak in before doing sunscreen, so we wait to do sunscreen when we are putting on our shoes. This works great when we are up and out the door first thing in the morning, not so great when we are home all day. Another option is to link it with something else that happens later in the morning, like snack time.
In the evening we put on patches. It’s part of the bedtime routine. We wash and dry his face, cut the patches to size, and then apply them. This gives the patches a good 12 hours to work (which is the minimum time they recommend for effectiveness) without my kiddo having to wear them during the day. They are definitely more noticeable than the scars at this point so we prefer not to wear them out and about.
Scar Kit Items Explained
Don’t use any of these items until the wound has healed and is no longer open. This may take a while, and when in doubt always check with your child’s doctor.
Silicone Gel - Silicone gel keeps the skin extra hydrated which lowers collagen production and results in softer, flatter scars. After a lot of research I chose Newgel +E for our silicone gel. I know Mederma is one of the top recommendations but it’s not actually a silicone gel. Try whatever feels right for you and your little. I wanted a medical grade silicone gel and Newgel +E has been wonderful. It goes on easily and feels good to the touch. The added E oil is a great bonus for aiding scar healing. It seems expensive, but we use it once a day and it has lasted us an entire year.
Essential Oils - This, like all of this, is optional. My Mom is into essential oil healing so we were able to include it in our routine without too much extra work. (Oils can be great for scars/skin) If you don’t already know someone who has essential oils, or have easy access, I recommend just getting rose ointment.
If you have the energy and interest in diving into essential oils, by all means do so! We made a roller blend using fractionated coconut oil, and a few drops of myrrh, frankincense, and lavender. (All oils used were from young living, be sure to get medical grade oils so that they don't have harmful ingredients.) Frankincense has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and healing properties. It rejuvenates skin and evens skin tone which helps with redness. Lavender soothes, reduces redness, and speeds healing. Myrrh helps blemishes fade and tightens the skin preventing sagging. There are a ton of oils with overlapping properties like these three. It's a bit of a rabbit hole but I do think it has helped.
Rose Ointment - This rose ointment is a great option for adding some essential oil benefits without having to make an oil roller blend yourself. This balm is made by Young Living. You rub your finger in it to get a small amount (or you can scrape out a little with the back of your nail) and rub it into the skin. It’s great for hydrating, soothing, and softening any dry skin. Rose oil improves the appearance of skin texture, and the tea tree oil in it helps soothes the skin. I think using this ointment has decreased the redness and irritation of the scar much faster than had we not used it. We use this every day and have barely made a dent in it, so it lasts forever!
Silicone Patches - Silicone patches work like the silicone gel, hydrating the skin and resulting in flatter softer scars. You and get all sorts of kinds, for wrinkles as well, but we've liked these. They also protect the scars from the sun a bit, which is very important for this new skin as it grows and heals (more on that in the sunscreen section). We use the silicone patches at night because they are fairly noticeable, and we've found people ask questions when they see them vs just the scars. We also use them to relieve tension on the scars.
My son’s scars are on his face in a direction that caused them to stretch. So instead of skinny scar lines, they are wider/thicker than we’d like simply because of gravity and the way his skin moves on his face. In addition to the silicone benefits these patches help relieve the tension on the skin around his scars. I use them almost like butterfly band-aids where I lift the skin up, or pinch the scar together before placing the patch. I think it has helped keep the scars from spreading further. Because I use them like butterfly band-aids, I cut them into small patches, just the size of each scar. This may not be necessary for your needs and they can absolutely be used as one big patch, the silicone benefit will be the same.
Most silicone patches are reusable as well, and there are cleaners out there for them. We use such a small amount everyday, and I want good adhesion so I can lift the skin with them, so we don’t reuse ours. As much as I care about saving money, I'm fine spending the $20 for a new roll instead of spending my time cleaning the tiny patches. If you use larger ones they might be worth cleaning. A roll of 1.6” x 120” lasts us about five months. We use half of a sheet (the roll has perforated sheets) every night.
Scissors - I keep small scissors right in the scar kit bag to cut the silicone patches, and the temporary tattoos. It just makes life easier to have it all together.
Temporary Tattoos - This is just to make the whole process more fun, and you can choose whatever little treat your child likes. When we started our scar routine I would offer my son a temporary tattoo each morning as part of the regime. Having something fun included helped him look forward to it instead of dreading it. I would do one on him and one on me and it was something he really enjoyed. Now our scar routine is normal and most days he doesn’t want the tattoos anymore, but he still doesn’t put up a fight about taking care of his scars.
Sunscreen - Scar tissue is brand new skin growth, which means it is very sensitive to the sun. Keeping sunscreen on scars and the surrounding skin is extremely important EVERY DAY for the entire first year. You can’t undo sun damage and it can make the scars really stand out. Putting on thick zinc sunscreen however, is gross. Most littles are also pretty squirmy so good luck getting it rubbed in. I already carry around a ton of stuff and hate it, so I’m not going to carry around a makeup brush that I also don’t have time to clean. I came up with two great solutions.
One: Sunscreen sticks. They look like deodorant and rub on the same way. These go on smoothly and consistently and I don’t have to touch the sunscreen. They’re fast to use which keeps my littles happy. These are my favorite sunscreen options for keeping with me on the go. I also don’t have to worry about finding a place to wash my hands because I’m not touching their face directly. They won’t burst and get sunscreen all over your bag, and I have not had them melt either, win win!
Two: Makeup sponges. The sunscreen sticks are awesome on the go, but can be expensive for the amount of sunscreen you get. Since I am always conscious of our budget I needed a better solution for daily morning sunscreen applications. I decided to order these makeup sponges. I squirt normal lotion sunscreen, the thick mineral kids stuff (we have tried many and I don’t really have a brand preference) onto the sponge and then wipe it onto my child’s face. The sponges are super soft and they make spreading the sunscreen so easy! I’ll use one a few times and then just toss it when it gets gross.
Supergoop: The one sunscreen brand I do recommend is Supergoop. If you haven’t heard of Supergoop you need some. Their sunscreens are reef safe, clean chemical or mineral ingredients, and they smell and feel good. The unseen sunscreen is my favorite, and I use it on myself as well as the kids. It feels pretty similar to the silicone gel actually. It’s soft and clear vs. most thick lotions. It can also be layered which adds extra protections to those sensitive scars. On really sunny days when I know my little guy will be in the sun a lot, I do a layer of Supergoop’s Unseen sunscreen first and then use whatever mineral lotion sunscreen I have over top. Supergoop is pricey though, so as much as I love it it isn’t our daily sunscreen.
Scars: A Storybook You Can Color - Scars is a children’s book AND a coloring book. I find reading to my kids helps them learn and discuss new things in ways I can't always explain. We love books about doctors visits, new siblings, and anything else they might benefit from more information or prep on. When I looked for kids books about scars the only one’s I found were pretty specifically for kids with heart surgery scars. Since my son’s were from an accident and on his face, they didn’t quite fit. So I decided to write one.
The story normalized scars and any emotions you might have about them. And being a coloring book you can make it your own. There is even a self portrait page. Not only do you get the benefit of a book, but you get the benefit of the therapy coloring can be. If you’re interested in checking it out you can find my book here.
It’s okay to have scars. Please remember that you are a great parent, and it’s okay to have scars. They are just signs of a life lived. I know it’s hard when they remind us of trauma or make us sad. Things are going to happen, as much as we want to always protect our kids. You are doing your best, and it isn’t your fault. Hopefully this information helps take some stress off of you while helping your little one heal.
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