Severe scarring from chicken pox

[Artichokes]

Both my DDs had chicken pox in July and both got it very badly with the pox concentrated on the face. Everyone told me that I would be surprised how quickly they faded and how few marks were left behind. It is now 8-9 weeks since the pox started to appear and both of their faces are still very marked.

DD1 has about 20 red facial scars. Only three are pitted but the discolouration is severe and people keep asking me what is wrong with her. I thought the colour should have gone after 2 months.

DD2 has no longer got red scars but her little face has 15 indented pox scars. Five are really large and clustered on her right cheek. It looks like acne scarring.

I am so sad for both my girls who I fear may have significant facial scarring for life. I have rubbed bio-oil on them nightly but to no effect. Does anyone have any other tips or words of comfort?

Both my DD's have scarring from chicken pox. DD1 was 3 when she had it, she is now 7, luckily the main scars are on her back. She had infected scars and there is actually several large dents in her skin. She has one under her eye that is still discoloured and slightly indented.
DD2 was 6 months when she had it, she is now 4 and she has a indented scar on her nose. Over the years it has got smaller and less noticable.
I think over the years they will fade, my girls ones have definately become less noticable. Im sure in a few years you wont even be able to see them.

DD had large numbers of pox around her face including her queen spot by her right eye that got infected and consequently scarred very badly. This was when she was 2.5years, she is now 7 years old they have faded a lot and are much less noticeable. Unfortuantely she is clearly determined to destroy her face and has recently put a 7 cm long scar right in the centre of her forehead.

Hi artichokes,

I send lots of sympathy your way I really do. My dd almost 5 got chicken pox at Easter, so 5 months on and I still cry at the state of her face. She got it very very badly particularly her face, it's only the past 6 weeks where the scars have started to fade, I say scars I don't mean spots these are indented crater scars. She has 3 down the side of her nose one in the middle of her nose which now requires surgery several between her eyes and forehead.

They are less noticeable as the red has almost gone but the dents will remain regardless.

Don't use bio oil, just a good moisturiser like cetraben and factor 50 sun cream when outside. 2 months is not a long time I'm expecting a longer recovery with my dd maybe 12 months or so.

Feel free to message me for support

Xx

surgery hartey?

can you tell me more please

I still have scars from when I had chicken pox as an infant (very faint and only visible up close). one of the reasons why my dc are vaccinated.
you could try rubbing in vit e (break open the capsules from health food store).

Yes she needs surgery because she grew a large milia cyst from a crater scar on her nose, the dermatologist can't remove it under a local for obvious reasons so dd has been referred to a plastic surgeon who will hopefully remove it.

The rest of the scars there's nothing that can be done until she is older, I must stress though I think our dd has been very unfortunate and I dont think this is very common!

Poor things! But yes, give it more time and hopefully they will fade a lot. How old are they, artichokes?

DD had it very severely at 4 months and now, a year on, her scars (which were not as bad as those others have mentioned, but did look very pitted on her face for a month or so) are just faint silvery things, and the pitting is all gone except for one very slightly pitted one. I guess she has grown such a lot in the past year, it's kind of stretched flat as well as the skin healing and growing and renewing.

I didn't use anything on them but moisturiser, as she was so little they advised me Bio-Oil was unsuitable.