Help! Scar on my LO's face

[Sweetmommy]

Hi there!

My sweet little 4 years old boy felt on the edge of a cupboard at daycare 3 weeks ago... It was bleeding like crazy so we took him to the ER. They glued it and applied steritstrips. Took them off 5 days after, as instructed. I don't know if it should have been stitches, because now it is wide and open. The wound is healed but the edges of the wound doesn't touch, there is a good 2mm space between them. I think they call it a depressed scar?

It is my first time dealing with a deep cut, so I don't know if it's normal... It is right between his eyes, 1cm long (thanks god its small). But it is so wide, it really worries me. I am so devastated that my LO has now a big red depressed mark in the middle of his perfect little face. It gives me anxiety and I am beating myself up that he didn't had stitches... Should have gone to a plastic surgeon or something...But I didn't know! It breaks my heart looking at him. All I can see is this mark between his eyes.

I am applying a silicone base gel twice a day + sunscreen. I don't know if silicone gel sheets would be better? The instructions says it is for raised scars but he has indented scar.

As this has ever happened to you or your LO? Any positive outcomes? I keep reading it will get better, but it takes around 6 months before seeing improvement... That's a long time... Meanwhile, hopefully I will feel better about it cause I don't want to get depressed... And I don't want my son to be conscious about it.

A mommy looking for reassurance.

@Cristina2021

Okay yes that was my main concern. I have been putting a bandaid on it every day since she got it so it can protect her from the sun. But she’s tired of wearing it so I’m trying to see what else I can do to protect it.

and yes I don’t talk about it to her but she’s well aware of it as she is 6 years old and has to put on a bandaid everyday to go to school so she knows it’s there. It doesn’t seem to bug her though.

yeah I read good thing about lasers really being able to help depressed scars. So I’m really hoping that can work for both out beautiful girls.

although maybe when they grown up it won’t bug them and they won’t even want to fix it.

Were you advised to cover it by the hospital @Karenandrade52? My daughter has a scar on her face and we were never advised to cover it. I think she would have felt much more self-conscious about a bandaid than about the scar itself to be honest!

Your daughter's scar will gradually fade, try not to worry.

@sevenbyseven well the main thing the hospital said was to protect from sun.
I would send her to school with a hat but she always came back with it off. And sunscreen wasn’t working at school since It wore off by the time she was outside playing. So we thought our best option was the bandaid.

but yeah you’re right we are thinking about stopping that since the only thing that bugs her more in the bandaid not the scar.
did you keep reapplying sunscreen or your daughter?

@sevenbyseven @Karenandrade52 The problem indeed is that scar tissue is very sensitive to the sun and at school/kindergarten kids don’t reapply the creme as often as it should be to ensure the protection of the skin. The plaster ensures precisely that, ir prevents a burn. My daughter was aware of the plaster of course but she had no negative connotation to it. I don’t think that by wearing it she must see it as something annoying, it can be neutral or even positive, if for example she can choose the drawings on the plaster or decorate it further with some stickers.

Sunscreen applied before school would be fine in summer, but not necessary in winter unless you've been advised otherwise by the GP/hospital.

@Karenandrade52

I just wanted to jump on here and say that we're in the same boat. You maybe have seen threads from me before (just type in baby scar).
I'm still upset about my baby scratching herself 6 months later, I could cry and cry about it. My baby is only 7 months old, the mark has had a lot of improvement but it's still indented, right down the middle of her cheek 😢😢 I really struggle with the guilt, because to me I didn't trim her nails properly.

Anyway just wanted to say your not alone. X

Just reading this thread has given me hope as right now feeling so worried.

My DD was scratched by our cat a couple of weeks ago, right under her eye. I washed the area, applied antiseptic cream and made sure it was clean. She had to go into secondary school with a plaster in her face. It’s been 2 weeks and the cut has scanned over and now come off. It looks better than it did but not great. The scar is red and more worryingly there is a bump at the start of the wound. My DD is really worried as it’s on her face.

I do my best to reassure her it’s only been 2 weeks that it will take a good few months to fade. But I’m worried sick. She’s had comments from girls at school. It’s the small lumpy but I’m worried about. I did find a video on YouTube (which I’ve watched and rewatched obsessively) where a woman had exact same cut and showed the healing each day. She had the lumpy bump where the claw went in too and it took 4 months but it did go.

I must sound deranged but I am so anxious it won’t heal. Now thinking I should have taken DD to get it glued but it happened late at night when our urgent treatment centre shut and was told 12 hour wait at A&E.

Just wondering if anyone has experience if this? I wanted to get rid of cat but DD is 13 and was deliberately provoking it so not entirely cats fault.

Sorry for typos, it scabbed over not scanned!

@Alotworried I think that such scars are not so deep so it should completely disappear over time. This is differerent feon scars from a bad fall on something sharp, where the damage and opening is on all skin layers. Give it time!

Thanks Christina it was a deep cut. Just looked at it again now and still
so red and noticeable. I have compared it with the woman on the YouTube video and her similar cut was not red by 2 weeks, driving myself mad with it all 🤦🏻‍♀️

Hello @Cristina2021 and @Karenandrade52 !

I know this tread is a bit old but I am in the same position with my DD. She fell 9 months ago and has a scar (about 2cm) in the middle of her forehead. It had massively faded i have to day but the texture is not great and it is slightly indented. i saw that you are both looked into laser. I am looking into it too. Have you found anything? I know that she needs to be around 4 (she is 3 now) and I am happy to pay privately but I am after doctor recommendations if you have any! Thank you!

Hello, I was yesterday at a dermatologist who recommended to wait until she is 10 years old because one has to do around 5 sessions and it might be painful the day after so they might not want to do more sessions again when they are smaller. But on the other hand I guess the earlier you start the better. I would also like to read feedback from anyone who has had a laser treatment for such scars, was it effective? At what age was it performed?

This is how the scar looks like 2 years after the fall

@MrsMargot Hi. I took her to a dermatologist a couple months ago to ask them about it and they wouldn’t touch it or want to do anything. They actually kinda judged me for even caring so much about it. Which really upset me.
So I might go to another dermatologist. But I’m going to wait a while for that.
Hers is actually healing great on its own, except when she makes facial expressions. It’s really noticeable there. So I really want to get that fixed.
and yes I would like to know also if anyone has ever done laser for it.

This is how it’s healed. It will be 1 year since the accident this month.
looks super good most times and can’t really see it when you look at her.
It’s only bad when she makes expressions. Looks like a really deep wrinkle. Idk why it’s doing that. Wish it wasn’t.

@Karenandrade52 The progress is amazing!! How is the texture of the skin when light catches it? Gosh I know exactly what you mean with the judging… I have felt the same. I was told that ‘nobody pays attention’ etc. same case here with the facial expressions and my daughter’s is pretty much at the same place as yours. The additional thing she has is that in light the texture looks bumpy. I am more interested in the texture to be improved to be honest.

@Cristina2021 thank you very much for the reply. Would you mind sharing the name of the dermatologist is private message? We went to a paediatric plastic surgeon at GOSH and he said around 4-5 and the only thing the lazer he uses does is to blur the edges of the white with the colour of the skin so it is not as visible. Our issue is not the white as much. More the texture of the scar. I will see how I can upload a picture.

This is when the light/sun catches it. When you see her at normal lighting it is not as visible. And this is 9 months after the accident.

Hello mums. I need your help. My 2 years old girl hit, so we had to get stitches (5 stitches).
Suggestions how can I help the scar go away?
Do you have any experiences? How long does it take for scar to go away? 😢

@Chchd I'm assuming your child's injury was fairly recent. Massaging bio oil into the scar will help.

@Cristina2021 @Karenandrade52 and @MrsMargot your children's scars all look like they are healing well and they look almost invisible from the photos. I know my son's scars look less visible in photos though so I appreciate your children's scars may look more obvious in real life. We saw my son's surgeon about 18 months ago and he recommended ds have his scar revised and his nose shape improved when he has his bone graft operation. So we're currently waiting for that. I'm very nervous and wasn't sure it was the right decision as I think his slightly wonky smile is lovely. I've known the surgeon for 10 years though and I trust him to recommend what is best for ds.

Hello @Chchd, from the picture it looks like the scar of your girl has heeled very well. From what I see with stitches ir’s possible to better close the scar so that it doesn’t leave a gap as in the case of glue. Ar least in my daughter case the scar opened up after being glued so unfortunately skin was not touching skin. Another thing that looks good is the direction of the scar, it’s might be not noticeable as it’s horizontal and just above the eyebrow.

hello @elliejjtiny was the scar glued before? would the doctor do stitches this time during the revision? I think sometimes that a revision is a good idea although dreadful because basically they will have to make a new scar but it might be less noticeable than what has been done in an emergency room with a moving toddler. When is the revision taking place?

with regards the healing, now the scar is “done”, there is no more healing process in it. I hope that somehow it will become less noticeable over time but this has not been the case kn the last year

@MrsMargot yes my daughters scar looks exactly like that when certain light hits it. Except for some reason my daughters scar is still slightly red. Even though it’s been about a year. Idk why. So I feel like I can notice it a bit more with the light because or the slight redness.
have you ever looked into tca peel? I heard it can help with scars like these. I’m going to try to see if that’s an easier option for my daughter.

@Chchd yes I would do bio oil or silicone scar gel.
I think your child’s scar looks great though to be honest. No indentation. So most likely will heal amazing with a slight white line but that’s it. Most likely going to heal unnoticeable

@Cristina2021 no it was stitched before. Our situation is a bit different because ds had a cleft lip rather than an injury. So his original repair was by a plastic surgeon in theatre. I'm not sure when it's going to be, it was meant to be December last year but it got cancelled because he had an ear infection. I should really chase it up but I've been putting it off as I'm so nervous. It's not just the scar revision, he has to have part of the bone in his hip grafted into his gym as well. Ds is a lot braver than me. His main focus is what toys they will have at the hospital and being allowed to watch tv in bed!

@Cristina2021
@Karenandrade52
@elliejjtiny
Thank you very much for your answers.
Do you know how long it takes for the red color to go away?

Also, know if the hair follicle are damaging in such cases; I am worried about creating a gap in the eyebrow 😞

@Karenandrade52 apologies for the late reply. I have not looked into the peel. I googled it just now. I will have a look. I am wondering whether she has to wait until she is 16. Do you know when they do it? I have the feeling that these are used for acne so teenage years I guess.

my daughter’s scar can be slightly red if she is crying or jumping etc. if she is at a normal facial expressions is not red at all. I know that there is a lazer they do at Gosh for the redness but I am sure that will go. I am more worried about the texture as it does look like a wrinkle.

i have put below the routine I follow. And I say ‘I’ because I do most of the stuff when she is asleep. I do not want her to be conscious of the scar. At least more than she is now.

• I always put SPF 50 even if there is no sun.
• she has always on kelocote scar gel. They apply at the nursery too. She thinks it is spf. I also pretend I am putting cream on my forehead and she does ‘like mummy to protect from the sun’
• at night when she sleeps, after the bath so it is clean, I massage with bio-oil for 3 minutes. After that I massage with a different oil, currently glory oil but I have put cocoa butter scar serum or pure vitamin E. I do that for another 3 minutes. After that, I pat with a tissue, I put kelocote and on top scaraway silicon sheets. They are not cheep but I cut them to size and they last for ages. The sheets I have been doing for 3 months now.

As a side note, a few months ago, I was also putting chloramphenicol cream (it is the one for conjunctivitis). I was reading about it and other mums had some results. I do not know what made the difference in the redness but I am mentioning it just in case.