Tummy Tuck: Forum
Post to Forum
Scar question
By prissy1 on 11 Feb 2011
incision starting to get crusty, almost like when sores heal, around the belly button too. Is this normal? I'mn still using the palmers 2x a day but I think I'm going to bring a small vial to work and increase it to 3x until I switch to the mederma.
there's a new post in our blog about Mederma (the blogger wants her money back). Take a look and please leave a comment if you wish to share your opinion of mederma.
I did ask my PS yesterday about the Vitamin E oil, since I haven't started using it. My incision is still not totally closed, so I was leery of using it before that.
He told me he preferred tea tree oil, to Vitamin E - felt it had better healing properties, and that I could use it right away, without worrying if the incision was closed or not.
I go for my PS appt. tomorrow, and will ask them about their recommendations for the next stage. I have spanx, but it was hard to get into when I could wiggle easily, so I don't see it as a great alternative yet.
They did recommend I wear the binder for at least 4 weeks.
@Linda-I wear my binder to bed...in the daytime I may wear spanx depending on what I'm wearing.
You never mentiioned how many weeks post op you were at that point?
I was well over 4 weeks and still not execising and my incision is healing nicely...I gradually stopped a day here and there. I still wear it to bed when my swelling is bad but every day is getting better. I have however stopped wearing spanx everyday, its too uncomfortable @ work and I can't breathe. My mederma has spf and I am indoors @ work for most of the daylight hours so hopefully that's enough protection.
As far as my corseted effect once I start exercising and the swelling goes away I'll be fine. I've always been small and wore a size 27 b4 surgery I just had a pooch from having 2 c-sections and 4 children.
Out of all the research I've done there a conflicting stories about binder usage and by many doctors not even using them at all I think its a case by case basis.
I was a real rebel too. In fact I didn't wear my binder for a day AND I went on the treadmill Day 10 for a mile.
Well what happened was that part of my incision opened up, even though to me it looked healed. In fact the part of the line that opened up started to widen. I was afraid I would have a wider incision scar in that area so I went online and read some Real Self posts and one of the doctors had posted that taking your binder off too soon would lessen the results.
That is when I was able to visualing the fact that even though I was feeling healed and I could stand up, I shouldn't. The reason being, the stitches corsetting you together could be 'wet' and spreading apart and lessening the Cinching effect.
I immediately put my corset back on and started sleeping in a fetal position and taking Milk of Magnesia to keep myself regular and evacuated during this healing phase. I figured once the internal stitches were clearly securely healed I didn't want to take a chance and spread them out.
I had to get over my invincibility complex, by telling myself that biological processes can't be healed, just like a developing embryo is on schedule by the week for certain developmental markers, so is the healing process of sticthes.
I saw your other post of your tummy and I wonder if your corsetting effect is getting lessened by not wearing the garment.
My first garment fell apart so I got a backbrace garment from Walmart and folded up a few washcloths at the tummy to shove my tummy in before wearing the backbrace. It's very effective and secure and I'm 'cinched' in.
My doctor also told me it's very important to put sunprotection on the scar, clothes have the SPF of 15. I found a great one at Whole foods that has zinc in it. When I go to my sons outdoor games I am sure to put that on too.
I use palmers when I get out of the shower. So early in the healing stage I'm finding it more important to keep my incision sunprotected and compressed.
Sunprotection is really important especially on dark skin because we tend to hyper pigment. I actually use "C-lite EsterC" by Jason that I get from Sprouts and then apply the sunprotection.
C-lite worked great on preventing hyperpigmentation on my acne, so I expect same results on incision and bellybutton.
I haven't put anything on my incision, as it still has steri-strips on it. I will be 3 wks on Wed.
Is it okay to put stuff on the scar before it even is a scar? I still have all my stitches, etc.
My fishing line thingys came out, it was hanging, I could see the knot so I pulled gently and it fell off easliy.
Now that my belly button scabs have fell off and it is no longer red, I started using mederma on the outsides where the skin is dark.
I noticed the tube of mederma I had was the gel kind, over the weekend I got the cream, less peeling so maybe the gel is drying. Thanks Kimmers!
Swell hell still surfaces in the afternoons, some days are better some worse. I notice its worse when I am more active.
I have not worn spanx or binder during the day for a full week now, I still sleep in my binder though.
Felt weird at first without the support but its fine, I've been wearing very blousy tops and my looser jeans or leggings to accomodate any swelling but all in all I am fine.
I know my surgeon said to wear for 6 weeks but of all the research I have done and some surgeons don't make you wear them at all I feel pretty good having worn up till this poing 4 weeks post op...I'll report back after the afternoon swell hell has surfaced!
You are not a rebel. You need to test the waters and see who it feels. You eventually need to come out of the thing so might as well start slow.
Let me know how you did today.
I thought that it felt better without the binder.
I started using mederma on my incision this week...its all flat except on the very ends its still raised...I can still see the lil ends of sutures...looks like fishing line sticking out. Is this normal???
Also where I'm using mederma the skin is peeling...did urs? You didn't put it on your belly button did you?
Hello :)
Yes I had the sutures sticking out the ends of the incision line. An you are correct...it looks like fishing line. I had the entire surgical knot pop through the skin and it was crazy looking. I pulled them out with a tweezers.
The Mederma did not make me peel so I am not sure what that is about. As long as it doesn't get red and irritated you should be fine. Just keep an eye on it. I did put it on my belly button.
Three time a day would be great. Make sure it is smooth before starting the Mederma.