Chicken pox pock marks- the after scars!

[LilyPad150]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any before and after photos of their children’s pox scars?

DD had CP a month ago and has four large holes in her forehead. I know they won’t go and will fade but just wondering what they could look like from experience?

They are much redder and deeper than in the pic.

I am down a rabbit hole over this. Any before and afters would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the reassurance @AnnaMagnani 😊

Thanks so much for this thread. Just what I need. My little one had them 8 weeks ago and has been left with the same! Looking for
some update nearly a year later to give me hope?! Is there anything that can be done when they’re older now to remove completely?! 🙏🤞

@Mamame24 nearly a year on and there has been a big difference with DD’s scars. I took this photo a few weeks ago and they are even a bit less noticeable now. (Lighting on pic makes them look more noticeable than they actually are.)
I used silicone gel twice a day and massaged a moisturiser in for a few months (she doesn’t let me near anymore now though other than to put a quick dab on 🤣).
Time is definitely key. I was in such a state about them at the time but wish I hadn’t been so worried about them. So try not to be hard on yourself over it.

This was what I worried about when DD caught it, virasoothe was used as much as possible and really made a difference even though she was so badly covered in them. She's not got a single mark.
I've still got the scars from mine as a child. There should be more promotion for virasoothe preventing scars and Poxclin for very quickly soothing the itching. I pass this advice on to everyone I know with small kids who have chicken pox.

Sorry is this the same as Lilypad but new name or a different poster? 😂🙈 confused!

Looks great. How soon after having them did you use the virasoothe? We’re 8 weeks post! Hoping they clear up as well as your DD did! 🙏🤞

Thank you @LilyPad150! I’m sorry, I’m new to this and I thought the photo was with the other poster’s message, hence the confusion!

Great to hear that as it’s consuming me so much with the worry about the fact they will always be there! Just so hard! Fingers crossed they’ll heal further! It is only 8 weeks but just so hard seeing others who had them and not one single mark! Just hoping micro needling or some other invention, will remove them in the future if they are self conscious!

@Mamame24 I’ve totally been there, been down that rabbit hole too.. google’ing everything possible so I know exactly how you feel.
8 weeks is early days yet, I started to see big difference around 10-12 weeks when looking at photos.

That helps so much. So thank you @LilyPad150 ! It’s so hard to be patient…feels like they’ve been there longer! What silicone gel did you use? We have kelo-cote. Using bio oil and moisturiser too! Praying they continue to heal and they won’t notice them in the future! 🙏

I'm 33 and still have two chicken pox scars 26 years later. One on my hand and one on the side of my face by my eye.

When I read this I realised they have never ever bothered me, and I'm normally self conscious about things like this. They just fade into my skin if that makes sense I hardly notice them, and they must have faded quickly as a child.

@Mamame24 yes have used kelo-cote before but I originally used Dermatix until it ran out- they are very small tubes! Kelo-cote is good because I think it has an SPF in it.
Once they go skin colour rather than red you should notice a big improvement. My DD’s are still indented but have definitely filled in a bit.

@thesuk thank you.. that is very reassuring, going to try and not mention it to DD as she gets older in the hope that she forgets they are there.

@LilyPad150 the one we have doesn’t have spf but i’m keeping spf and a hat on at all times in the sun!
I knew if the scabs are picked they scar, but never knew they could scar without any scab removal! So why is it happening to our kids’ skin! Anyways like you said they are not so noticeable a year later so fingers crossed!!! 🤞

I have one on my forehead. A lot of people do. It's like a little club of people who recognize others like them. I had them at 7.

DD2 has a lot of scars but they are only visible in very bright light. None that I see on her face. She was 4 when she had them. Honestly time will make them fade to nearly nothing if they're very young. Just a bit white.

@Wallywobbles yeah she has 10 on her forehead so that’s my concern…😢 Time will tell! Just hope they come up with something in future to remove them, if it is very noticeable and she is conscious of it!

Glad you are feeling better about this @LilyPad150

My DD had terrible infected chicken pox age 3 - now at 9, her scars don't really have any terrain to them (i.e. they are pretty much flush / flat) and are more just vaguely silvery (you know how scars go when they are really old?) and not coloured at all. You wouldn't know they were there unless you were looking for them.

I put Bio oil on my son's and now they are not really noticeable. Not sure if that was the benefit of oil or just time.

I just wanted to second this. I have maybe four or five, never actually counted them, on my face and it’s never remotely bothered me. One is slightly deeper than the rest but they do fade a lot. I was much more bothered about my spots as a teenager than any scars. I think you’re a lovely mum though going to all this effort to minimise the scars. X

These are reassuring to read so thank you 🙏 fingers crossed I’ll be reassuring some worried mam / dad in the future that’s it’s nothing to worry about!!

@SneezyEvie just wondering how your daughters are now? 🙏🤞 thank you

@Mamame24 So we are a year on and the majority have healed up but she still has this one by her ear which hasn’t :( . Hoping it will continue to improve with time.

@LilyPad150 Hi, thank you so much for updating your thread. It is so,so helpful for mums that are desperately searching for help.

I'm so pleased to see the improvement in your little one's scars.

May I please ask you what made you opt for the silicone treatment in the end? I saw your earlier reply to someone that silicone isn't for atrophic scars but then saw later you had used it?

I've researched constantly and read that dermatix prevents collagen growth so great for hypertrophic scars...but seems counter productive for atrophic?

I've used it before on a facial scar of my DD with great effect, but I'm scaring myself over using it on her pox scar between above her eyes (on her for forehead).

Xx

Agree Is this all parents have to worry about now. All mine had chicken pox, now in their 20s all still have a couple of scars on forehead. Didn't even enter my head it being a problem it's something that most kids get son got it when he was 18 that's no fun.

Hi @WorriedMummy1986 , sorry to hear you are in a similar position with the forehead scars. The only advice I really have is to give it time. We are now a year on and the scars are much less noticeable.

I used the silicone gel after speaking to another mumsnetter who had been through it. I did see changes and improvements using it- quicker than without it seemed. Maybe I just convinced myself it was the silicone gel and it was really just time. But I was pretty desperate at that point so just went with it.

Try not to worry too much, time really is a healer. X

Thank you very much for updating and replying @LilyPad150 , I very much appreciate it.

I unfortunately have PTSD from an incident that resulted in permanent facial scarring on my daughter. So this chicken pox scar has triggered a pretty bad regression on all the work I did to overcome the scar trigger that manifested.

I came across your old thread and many others and I could almost hear the despair through the written words.

I am trying very hard to not spiral and mist importantly ensure it never comes across to her. Xx

My poor baby got the Pox when she was just 6 months old. The worst one was right in between her eyebrows and my goodness did I stress about it. I covered it with a little plaster when it was scabbing over and I did use a bit of bio-oil in the following weeks but not that religiously. Here it is now, age 12 and hardly noticeable