Severe chickenpox pitted scars on sons face - looking for support

[fake68]

Hello, my ds got chickenpox 7 weeks ago and he has been left severely scarred on his face he is 11 and there are deep pitted scars about 25 of them on his forehead, cheeks and chin. They are still very red at the moment and know that the redness will fade but can anyone tell me it the pitted scars will get any better over time his face looks really terrible and when he is outside the light shows up all the holes in his face.

We were abroad when he contracted the chickenpox and they were like boils on his face and all over his body, the body ones have about gone now but his face was so lovely before this happened - please reply

[ShowOfHands]

DD had severe chicken pox 15 months ago. She has around 9 scars on her face and neck. They're colourless but pitted They haven't improved really apart from the angry, red colouring going. DD is proud of them atm but she's only 5. I know of plenty of dc who have had scars initially which faded later.

[savoycabbage]

IRS good that the ones on the body have gone. He must gave good skin. Could you go to a dermatologist for advice.

My dd has some scars on her torso from chicken pox. It seems to be on the parts of her that don't get exposed. I don't know if that's a coincidence or not.

[justabigdisco]

No advice here sorry, but marking my place for any good suggestions

[fake68]

ShowOfHands, can you tell me how long the redness took to fade?

[shelley72]

DS had severe chicken pox just before he was 3. He is now nearly 5 and the scars are still very bad on his face, although not as red. His body has healed better, but the spots on his torso were not as deep. It made me feel very sad for him initially, as he had such beautiful clear skin. The scars are just part of him now, and he's still every bit as beautiful.

DD also had it when she was a few weeks old, was completely covered but has only really been left with a few scars on her lower body which no-one should see when she's older - unless they are getting too close .

I tried rosehip oil and decleor gel (as part of daily body lotion routine so he didnt know what I was up to!) but I dont think now that they will ever go, nor do I make an issue of the scars - as i really dont want him to be self conscious at all. He's still my gorgeous baby boy .

[ShowOfHands]

I have no idea I'm afraid, a few months or so? I don't look at her and see the scars, I just see her. I mean they're obvious and fairly big/pitted but I just see her. It can't be helped. She's beautiful.

[fake68]

Thanks for your replies, children are all beautiful regardless of any scars and I know he will always be my gorgeous boy, he says it does not bother him but I have caught him looking in the mirror and at old holiday photos but I didn't say anything to him, I can only hope that when the angry red colouring fades he will look a little better.

[worryingwillow]

If its any consolation as to how common it is my dd had cpox at 14 months and has two pitted scars on her face, they faded from red fairly quickly but I don't expect they'll get better now than they are.

Ds had chickenpox at the same time roughly when he was 4 (this was 9/10m ago) and has no scars on his face but has 3 really quite big scars on his stomach and back - one is almost the size of a 1p for example and very purple. I don't think it'll get better, I think he's prone to keyloid scarring like me.

[nailak]

i think it is different in an older child when it comes to approach, as they are more aware of looks coming up to puberty etc, so probably getting professional advice, while at the same time boosting his esteem and confidence in other ways might be the way to go.

[nankypeevy]

If it helps, my daughter got a Right Dose of the pox when she was 3. She had some really bad scarring on her face, mostly on her forehead and chin.

GP commented on it, and said that kids' faces grow from the middle out - so the scars would shift and not be so obvious. Also, they would stay the same size, whereas, she would get bigger.

All happened as he said. She's now nearly 9 and the scars are still there - but they are the same colour as the rest of her face (only purple in temper) and have moved so the obvious chin ones are now in her jawline and the forehead ones are heading towards her hair line.

Having said that, the body ones are all keloid and a mess.

However, she was properly poorly and hospitalised with the pox, so I'm not going to worry too much about the scars.

Am a total convert to vaccinating for the pox after seeing the state she was in. I'd always thought it was a mild, normal, childhood disease...

[interested1]

Sorry to hear about about your DS fake68. My DS (nearly three) also recently had a bad dose of the chicken pox (hospitalised) and has been left with scars on her face and body - some pitted. How big are the scars on DS's face? In terms of diameter, and how deep? I only ask because I am hoping to see a dermatologist this week and can report back.

Those of you slightly further down the line, how big were the scars and did you notice any improvement in terms of them getting smaller and less deep over time?

Thanks.

[interested1]

Sorry, meant my DD.

[fake68]

Thanks (interested1) I would be very interested in what you're dematologist tells you, my ds has about 25 -27 (I tried to count them when he was not looking) pitted scars on his face, he has 7 on his forehead about biggest being about 4mm in diameter and about 1mm deep, the rest are on his cheeks and chin different sizes and depths, he has one really deep one on his cheek about 1.5mm in depth, they are still very red at the moment and looks terrible in sunlight aswell as artificial light in shops. Sorry about your dd, before this I had no idea how badly some children were affected by chickenpoxs.

I'm only hoping that when the redness goes that he will look better, it makes my sad when I look at his face as it is at the moment.

[fake68]

Thank you everyone for your support it helps to know i am not alone with this.

[itsnotjustaslap]

fake68 I am so sorry that your boy has had it so badly. Although I have not had as many pitted spots on my face as your son, I have a few scars on my face as an adult from childhood cp.

They have healed pretty well. The redness has completely faded and the scar tissue (in me at least) has turned white. There is no need to use concealer or make up to cover it.

They are still pitted slightly, but have filled in somewhat. The light can catch them (just checked) but they look pretty inconspicuous. One of mine is fairly prominent because it is in the centre of my forehead, the others around my hairline; but unless the light caught it, no-one would know it was there.

Hope this is a little reassuring for you both

[hellymelly]

I think a dermatologist is the way to go. For regular scars there is something called dermatix, a clear gel, that helps flatten out the scar, and leaves it smoother. My dd had it for a nasty scar on her face, she still has the scar (it wasn't stitched or glued, she was a baby and it was really mismanaged) but it is nice and smooth, no bumps, not too indented. I'm not sure if it works on chicken pox scars but it may do. I bought mine through the dermatologist but Amazon sell it. Heal gel is good too, that would also help with redness (google it).
Other than that, I imagine that later he could have filler injected into the pitted areas to smooth them if they are really noticable when he is an older child. but a dermatologist would be able to tell you just what could be done now and later on.

[twonker]

Hi everyone. I agree with you that the chicken pox can be really awful, and the long term effects really unexpected for me. I know that by mentioning homeopathy, my suggestion is liable to be shot down in flames by the anti homeopathy contingent. However, for those of you who are open minded about homeopathy, and who feel that conventional medicine has nothing to offer, I would recommend it. My daughter had awful pox, 30 scars on her forehead alone. She was 3. They have all but disappeared now, and I credit this to the homeopathic treatment she had from a highly skilled and qualified homeopath.

[NellyTheElephant]

My DD had very bad chickenpox over two years ago. Firstly I'd say you can't even begin to tell how the scars will be until 6 months to a year after the event. The redness took some months to fade - even on my DD2 and DS who had 'normal' doses of CP. 2 years on DD1 has various pitted scars still on her face, but in all honesty they are very hard to see. The pitting has become much less noticeable. I know it is difficult - especially as he is that bit older (my DD is now 7) and so maybe a bit more aware of it, but I think you have to wait a fair bit longer until you can know how they are going to end up and try not to worry too much. As others have said, there are various dermatology options and it may be worth seeing someone sooner rather than later so you know what is best to do as an action plan.

[fake68]

Thanks you NellyTheElephant I think I will see a dermatologist as soon as I can, I am now starting to feel a bit better about his face and it has only been about 2 months since the chickenpox and hope that this time next year things will be alot better for him. My dd also had chickenpox 2 weeks after ds and she does not have a mark on her you wonder how one can have it so bad and the other not.

I think I will keep this post updated as the week and months go on while things are fresh in my memory as all yours replies have been very supportive to me and hopefully others.

[justabigdisco]

I'd really be interested to know
a) how you get to see a dermatologist and
b) whether there is anything they can do.
Please report back!

[hellymelly]

Your GP can refer you to a Derm. I saw one privately after my dd's got her scar, so that is an option too. (not hideously expensive for a consultation).

[interested1]

Follow up to my earlier post - took my dd to see a dermatologist. They said the scars would improve dramatically but that indents would remain to some degree. They also recommended vit c both orally and topically.

Nellythelephant - sorry to hear about your dd, but glad her skin has improved. Did you use anything on the scars?

Would also be interested to learn more about the homeopathy route - twonker.

[CiderwithBuda]

Would agree that the Dermatix gel is good. I used it on my forehead on a scar and it def helped. Also vit e is good. As is lavender oil. Buy some vit e capsules and squeeze the boil inside out and apply. You can also put lavender oil at same time. Both very good for healing.

[twonker]

hi interested1

I can only really recommend a qualified practitioner. my dd was under the care of a homepath because of her severe eczema, so she sees her every few months, takes time to chat to her about her skin, and also asks about things like appetite, sleep, energy levels. then a remedy is prescribed which addresses more than just her skin issues. I'll find a link for you if you like.

[twonker]

Society of Homeopaths