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Children's health

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Original poster

scar on daughter's forehead...should have been stitched and not glued!

65 replies

nectarini1983 · 13/04/2014 18:36

Hi there

I suppose im just hoping (optimistically) for some reassurance...?

My 4 year old daughter split her forehead open at preschool back in December. I took her to a and e when a nurse practitioner glued it bk together, said to leave the buterfky stitches on for 3-4 days and that it wouldn't scar.

I left stitches on on for over a week. Anyway, 4 months on and it definitely has scarred, bless her. And its riht in the middle of her forehead. The scar is also quite wide and not in a neat line its like its spread open. Its still quite red and noticeable.

I just wonder if anyone else has had this with their little ones and can reassure me that it will fade and lighten in time. As at the moment Im just wishing id insisted on it being stitched by a doctor!

One guilt ridden mother.

Thanks.

OP posts:

Thread gallery

JustAboutAdeqeuate · 13/04/2014 18:41

Apparently evidence suggests glued wounds might actually scar less than stitched wounds (bottom of this article) so don't beat yourself up. I say that as someone with a fairly large scar on my cheek from a burn as a child that hasn't caused me any problems whatsoever - I can't imagine a little scar from a cut forehead will affect your DD at all so long as you don't show that you're upset :)

BrianButterfield · 13/04/2014 18:41

It will fade in time. DS split his eyebrow open and it wasn't even glued as it's so close to his eye, it just had strips on. It was wide and notoceable for ages but now you have to peer at it to see it.

Original poster

nectarini1983 · 13/04/2014 18:54

She's totally oblivious to it thankfully . Think its just me wondering if I could have made a better choice but I followed advice given at the time. You wiuldnt thinkbit had been glued in my opinion

thank you, thats encouraging that his has faded so much! Fingers crossed....

Hopefully it will fade, either that or a fringe for life!

Ive read that it scars should be protected from the sun? Then other places ive read that it helps them blend in?

OP posts:

NCISaddict · 13/04/2014 18:58

My DS had a lump removed from his forehead and the incision was glued rather than stitched. The scar was visible for a while but then faded to nothing. I'm not sure how long it took.

jeee · 13/04/2014 18:59

DD1 has a long scar on her forehead - she calls it her Harry Potter scar. She's had it since she was two - it was stitched, with over 50 stitches.

She's a very image conscious 13 year old now, and still thinks the scar is cool.

nicky2512 · 13/04/2014 19:01

Bio oil might help. Did wonders for DDs awful chicken pox scars and I know others have used it on scars like your little one has.

OddBoots · 13/04/2014 19:05

My dd had a cut on her chin glued at the same age, it looked big and read for well over a year but eventually faded.

TallyGrenshall · 13/04/2014 19:08

DS had his head glued after an accident at nursery. When I took the steri strips off I cried because it loooked so big and obvious right in the middle of his forehead.

A year on it's barely noticeable

NeverQuiteSure · 13/04/2014 19:08

I have a scar on my forehead (dropped on my head as a baby ) and DSS has a 'Harry Potter' scar on his forehead. We both love our scars!

Bear in mind that as her forehead grows, the scar will seem smaller. They also tend to shrink (in real terms) over time.

insideout · 13/04/2014 19:08

When our dd was 3 she slashed her chin open in a swimming pool it was over an inch long and gaping. Because she was so little the dr decided to glue it and not stitch it.

It looked horrific for over a year, but she is 6.5 now and it's faded into a very thin white scar only really noticeable when it's pointed out.
We did massage bio oil into it morning and evening for 2 years but I'm still sceptical as to whether it made a difference.

MrsDeVere · 13/04/2014 19:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

nectarini1983 · 13/04/2014 19:12

Ive been using bio oil for a few months now but guess its still early days. Its still very noticeable to me at the moment and seems wider than ever! It sounds really encouraging that so many of your little ones scars from their war wounds have faded over time. Just wish it was an inch or so higher and it would be in her hair line.

50 stitches...goodness. good on your girl for being proud of who she is.

OP posts:

DoItTooJulia · 13/04/2014 19:13

Try pure lavender oil. Skin/patch test first, and once you know she's ok with it apply nightly. You could pop a drop into a pea sized lump of Vaseline and rub that it in. Or something like bio oil?

Original poster

nectarini1983 · 13/04/2014 19:16

That's good that the scar will stay same size. I had visions of it being enormous as she gets bigger and stretching wider and wider across her head. I just hope it flattens out too as from certain angles u can see that it dents in, from whatever she headbutted!

OP posts:

pebblyshit · 13/04/2014 19:19

DD has a huge facial scar and gel sheets have definitely helped a lot.

flowers123 · 13/04/2014 19:23

My son had a very deep scar on his forehead following an accident when he was 6. He is 16 now and it has almost disappeared completely. We made sure he alway had sun bock on it and we rubbed aquas cream in it every night for about 12 months after it happened x

DebbieOfMaddox · 13/04/2014 19:26

Gel sheets are the only thing that there's any research suggesting actually works in scar reduction -- in controlled studies bio oil and other oils don't perform any better than nothing at all. The scar reduction silicone gel might also be worth trying (as it's the same principle as the gel sheets) but doesn't have the weight of research behind it.

pebblyshit · 13/04/2014 19:32

I've attempted some pics of my dd scar. There is about 4 months difference between the 2 images and she used gel for most of that time. Obviously it would have carried on healing on it's own but I saw a real difference when we started using them.

scar on daughter's forehead...should have been stitched and not glued!

Original poster

nectarini1983 · 13/04/2014 19:53

That's an amazing improvement. Where can I buy these gels/ grl sheets? Willing to try anything.

am feeling much better that it'll continue to improve and hopefully fade as much as possible.

OP posts:

Lookingforfocus · 13/04/2014 20:07

Our dd fell and cut her lip into her cheek. We were in Spain and she was not able to co-operate for stitches (hysterically frightened) so it was glued by the facial surgeon that was called into the ER. When we got back home we started using a fading cream recommended by the doctor and now (about two years later) you barely see it and it was very red and angry looking to begin with. She applied the cream about two or three times a day. I'll Google it. Luckily it healed so well it did not change her lipline and when I asked her about it just now (she is almost 11) she strugged and said it doesn't bother her at all - it's barely noticeable.

Lookingforfocus · 13/04/2014 20:12

It's very important to use sunscreen when a scar is healing, so keep your DC out of the sun or with plenty of sunscreen and a hat.

LizzieMint · 13/04/2014 20:17

My daughter had a deep gash on her chin, when I took her in, the doctor said they rarely stitch these days unless they absolutely have to and prefer to glue. (My other daughter a couple of years earlier was stitched for a similar gash). It's about 9-10 months on and her scar is still quite red. But they do fade considerably over time, don't worry too much about it. My other daughter's scar looked much the same after a few months and is now practically invisible.

pebblyshit · 13/04/2014 20:21

You can get them on Amazon

HolidayCriminal · 13/04/2014 20:24

Stitches scar a lot, and leave a bigger amount of scar tissue. I have a few cuts from the days before steristrips were used so all stitched up. The stitches themselves add more scars. I like steristrips a lot better.

pombal · 13/04/2014 20:30

It'll fade.

Even if you had seen a doctor, they may still have glued it.
At 4 your DD might not have sat still for the anaesthetic and stitching. Mine wouldn't and had her head glued.

The scar was really fat and red for ages, think 6 months, then faded suddenly. You can hardly see it now.

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