How to hide a thyroidectomy scar

[MrsSpendTooMuch]

I’ve spent the last few years unable to wear anything with a high neck because of a large thyroid nodule, as tight clothing on my neck was uncomfortable. I’ve just had a partial thyroidectomy and now look like I’ve had my throat cut while being bitten by a snake/vampire due the incision and drain site wounds. For Halloween I thought I could emphasize the horror appearance with some drawn on sutures and a couple of drinks bottle lids stuck to my neck for a Frankenstein’s monster look, but I need to go out and go to work (smart to smart casual officewear) without terrifying people the rest of the time!

I’ve ordered a couple of polo neck tops and some scarves, but I’ve never been a scarf wearer before. Does anybody have any tips for covering up a scar on the lower part of the neck without wearing the same polo neck every day?

Your Halloween idea sounds brilliant!
Honestly, I wouldn't bother covering it. I had one when I was in my early 20s and just embraced it. Not sure about yours but mine is in the natural fold at base of neck so although it was clearly a red line, it wasn't too bad and it faded to a silvery scar nicely.

I had the same op some time ago and remember feeling like you initially, down to making the same jokes about zombies and Halloween! I wore a lot of scarves which isn’t my usual style. Like the pp though it soon faded and I’ve been left with a visible but not particularly noticeable silvery scar which I don’t bother trying to hide.

It does disappear op.

had mine years ago. And it sits in the neck crease now.
theres one tiny bit that I notice but nobody else does

May I suggest you try a silicon tape for your scar? I had throat surgery and it left a lumpy 5 inch scar, and used Kelinul Tape (but there are lots of similar ones) and the scar is now almost invisible. It’s easy and cheap and comfortable to use, though it takes a few weeks of use to get a really good final result.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09P2TB3T3?tag=track-ect-uk-4249677-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&ascsubtag=ecSEP5bn3jmgrtxwdf

Loving the Halloween idea!

In Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, Miss Blacklock wears a slightly incongruous large pearl choker to hide hers. (Spoiler alert: she hides hers bc she's pretending to be her sister so as to inherit a fortune. She then murders several people so would be a good alternative Halloween costume 🤣)

I used a buff band, but didn't need to look presentable at work. I think seasalt do similar bands that are maybe more office acceotable and less farmer-chic!

It does fade, and really as soon as the bruising subsides its way better - mine looked awful at first.

my scar also looked hideous at first but it did improve rather quickly. I used lots of Bio Oil. It was summer time for me so couldn’t get away with polo necks and scarves. I remember wearing boat neck tops a lot. It was barely visible after 3 or 4 months.

I echo the recommendation of a HandyBand from Seasalt. They’re really comfortable and not tight on the neck at all. There’s also a nice choice of designs:

https://www.seasaltcornwall.com/accessories/handyband-headbands?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9879251693&gbraid=0AAAAAD_rcol84w46mhMabLm3AXyxlnzCa&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI04Hei5GmkAMVrJpQBh3kbxQpEAAYASAAEgJy2fD_BwE

Dermacol foundation if it’s healed properly. It’s very heavy duty. https://dermocosmetics.co.uk/products/dermacol-make-up-cover-foundation?variant=56042626220415

Thanks everyone, some good advice here. I’m hoping it’ll fade quite quickly, but it’s very noticeable at the moment. I’ve got some silicone tape to start using when it’s healed a bit more. I know the Agatha Christie story and a pearl choker sounds like a fun idea to see if anyone spots the connection! The Seasalt bands have some nice designs and are a great recommendation too.

My mum has the same scar. As PPs have said they fade quickly but she did invest in a few pretty scarves initially. The Seasalt Handybands are great, aren't they?

Then, once her scar had healed sufficiently, Mum treated herself to a solid gold collar necklace. It doesn't hide the delicate silvery scar that's left but it definitely takes attention away from it and was a lovely way to treat herself after all that she'd been through.

Spend the money on decent scar reduction patches (pharmacies usually sell them) and it won’t be long before it will fade into the natural crease of your neck and won’t be noticed.

My mum has the same scar. As PPs have said they fade quickly but she did invest in a few pretty scarves initially. The Seasalt Handybands are great, aren't they?

Then, once her scar had healed sufficiently, Mum treated herself to a solid gold collar necklace. It doesn't hide the delicate silvery scar that's left but it definitely takes attention away from it and was a lovely way to treat herself after all that she'd been through.

They silicone scar tape on your neck. It’s absolutely fantastic for printing healing and really softens and flattens scars. It’s also nice in colour so you can wear it during the day x

I didn’t bother hiding mine at all and I faded with time. My thought was if someone had a problem with the sight of it, then that was their problem not mine. The only issue I had was every second woman I seemed to come across on a checkout or bank teller (was several decades ago when going into bank was much more common), would say ‘oh, look, you’ve had your thyroid out, I had mine done too x years ago, don’t worry about the scar, it will fade, look, you can hardly see mine now’ etc, and it would hold me up while they went on about it.