Teenager & Chickenpox

[ElleSue]

My DS is 16 and has just been diagnosed with chicken pox. His torso and face are covered in spots at differing stages, some are blistered, some dark red and others turning black. Sadly, some are 'crater' sized. We are worried about scarring, can anyone recommend anything to minimise the danger of scarring occurring (other than not to avoid scratching, which he is trying his best not to do but it's not always easy).
Also, how long does it take for the spots to fade / disappear? Does it take longer with teens than younger children? We are going on holiday in three weeks and he's not the most body confident as it is, I'm hoping he will not still be covered when we go away!
Thank you, any advice would be much appreciated.

It was a while ago but I got chicken pox when I was 16 as did quite a few of my friends. It seemed to be affect each of us very differently. I was just a bit spotty and tired while others seemed to be a lot sicker. One of my friends was really sick for a week or so. None of us were unduly scarred from the spots though - just a few marks here and there.

My DH had chicken pox in his 40's and was really sick. He couldn't eat or have the light on for almost a week. He had spots absolutely everywhere and looked awful. Amazingly, he didn't seem to get any scars or marks at all. We just used calamine lotion.

Many thanks Banjokazooie, that's reassuring. Not only has my poor DS got spots all over his body, he has them in his mouth and throat too.

I had chicken pox aged 14 and thought I was dying.

My mum used calamine lotion but I had them on my scalp, gums, eyelids and soles of my feet. It was horrible. I did have some horrible scarring but they did eventually go. Just try really hard not to pick them.

He may need antibiotics if the lesions seem infected. I would speak to the GP= it is a notifiable disease so your GP should be informed anyway.

I had chicken pox when I was 40, at the same time as my 2 year old and 6 month old baby- no help at all. I struggled though though- was still able to care for my ill children even though I was covered in spots and felt lousy.